


Frans: Name your Tale

by Zeliez



Series: The fibula-us Fransfiction of mine [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Kimi no Na wa. | Your Name. Fusion, Complete, F/M, Female Frisk (Undertale), Frans - Freeform, Inspired by Kimi no Na wa. | Your Name., It's a translation, Minor Character Death, Sans (Undertale) Doesn't Remember Resets, Sans (Undertale) Remembers Resets, and... - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23462419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeliez/pseuds/Zeliez
Summary: Sans never asked to be in such a situation.He, who wasn't even that excited at the idea of reaching the surface, is one of the first who can admire the sun.Did I forget to mention that he isn't in his body?Oh, well... Silly me.Frisk, the so-called victim of this situation, is trying to bring order to the chaos of their exchange of bodies.Here she is, randomly swapping bodies with a lazy, joke-loving and punny monster, with no manners and far too secretive.Did I forget to say that the chaos comes from the anomaly that controls the RESETS?Oh, well... Silly me.Time and space collide to make them meet when they shouldn't have met. The two are trying to trace their history despite the distortions of time and space the anomaly creates.Did I forget to mention that when time and space return to normal, they probably won't remember?Oh, well... Silly me.
Relationships: Frisk & Original Character(s), Frisk/Sans (Undertale), Papyrus & Sans (Undertale), Sans & Toriel (Undertale)
Series: The fibula-us Fransfiction of mine [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1583776
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. Dream Lantern

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: BAD ENGLISH, BAD!!! So hilariously weird. You've been warned!
> 
> Tumblr: https://zeliez.tumblr.com/

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And even if they're lost to time and space,  
> until we meet again, until that day...  
> You and I look into the sky!  
> We already know what to say!

The sun is setting and the city lights are already on, a group of 3 people is walking quietly and chatting, the streets are crowded. Some stop in front of the shop windows. One of these 3 people raises their head and points to the sky, worried. The others follow their finger and see a star getting closer and closer.  
Some take out their phone, others move away slowly.  
One girl doesn't move, however, she remains looking at the star, hypnotized by its brightness. Its call.

_"Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I feel my heart beating fast and my tears flowing."_

A star glitters in the darkness of the Underground, its light is dim, but the dark cellars of Waterfall make it brighter, it lights up a small part of the way.  
Many people pass by this star, without noticing it. But a silhouette stops and turns to look at it.

_*the dream i must have had i can never recall. but..._

One of her friends pulls her, but she stands firmly where she is, without flinching. Her eyes almost shine like the star falling from the sky.

_"But... The sensation that I've lost something lingers for a long time after I wake up."_

Slowly he approaches the star, suspicious but curious. His left hand covered by a glove comes out of his pocket. He continues to walk forward, the brightness of this star fascinates him and he doesn't know why.

_*i've always been searching for... something, someone._

The star is getting closer and closer, but it doesn't seem to be burning, people around are panicking and screaming, running away. Some are already calling who they can.  
But she doesn't move, fascinated.

_"I think I know how long I've had this feeling."_

He stops in front and brings his hand closer to the star that continues to twinkle in the dark. His doubt evaporates and only the peace and wonder remain.

_*this feeling possessed me i think from that day..._

The star is getting closer and closer, some cry out for shelter.  
Then suddenly it disappears, it evaporates, there's nothing left.  
No dust, no stones, nothing.  
Just film footage, and people in a panic.  
But she, she feels like something's gone through her from all sides, something invisible but incredible.  
It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It was just... there.

_"That day... when that star appeared. It was like..."_

Then he touches it, and it suddenly disappears, as if it was never there. And yet he still feels a warmth deep inside him. A sense of comfort comes over him. Something has happened, but instead of panicking or running away...  
They only feel safe and prepared for what the future holds.

_*...kind of... a dream._

**SAVE**

"aaahh!"

A scream echoes through the room.  
A young woman is lying on her bed, her hair is in a mess, she's panting, still shocked by the dream she's just had. Slowly, her breath calms, she turns her head and looks at her alarm clock. The shutters are still closed, only the light coming from her vibrating phone illuminates the room, but she doesn't pay attention to it.  
No, she sits quietly and looks down. She looks at her hands with anxiety and surprise, then curiosity comes back into her eyes. She looks down again and stares at her chest, which moves with her breathing. She raises her arms, opens her hands and slowly grabs her breasts.

"weird."

She continues to touch them, inspecting them as if she's never seen them before.  
Then the door opens. She raises her head, her hands still on her chest.

"You're still not up?! Are you serious?! You're the one who was supposed to make breakfast!"

She doesn't react and then moves one of her hands to point at herself.

"...me?"  
"Yes, you! Ugh... I'm always the one who does everything! Instead of touching your breasts, come and eat! I don't want to be late because of you, idiot!"

Then, she slams the door hard, yelling again as she leaves.  
The young woman, still in her pajamas, gets up with difficulty. She walks slowly towards the window and finally manages to open the shutters after several attempts.  
She opens it and sees the sun, she hears the noise of the crowded street, the cars driving on the roads.  
She remains speechless.

"am i... am i dreaming?"

She walks fast, tripping and stumbling, to the first mirror she sees hanging on the wall. She takes off her dress and looks at herself for several minutes. And finally, she reacts.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!!!!"

The door closes slowly, a young woman brushes her hair quickly as she descends the stairs, she's dressed and carries her bag on her back, which she puts down before heading to the kitchen where her roommate is waiting for her.

"Hi, Flora. Sleep well?"

She walks to the coffee pot and pours herself a cup and puts a cube of sugar in it. She quickly grabs some cookies and turns on the TV.  
Her roommate looks at her, silent.

"You seem normal today."

She stops, looks at Flora and sits on a stool.

"What?"  
"You were crazy yesterday. That was kind of fun. You're always so reserved, Frisk, and that was a big change."  
"What do you mean by that?"

She takes a sip of his coffee.

"Well, you're dressed, unlike yesterday. You stayed in your pajamas, even to go to college."  
"What?! I would never do that!"  
"That's what I'm saying, you were surprising yesterday. You should be like that more often, Frisk. It's... well... it changes."  
"Is this a prank? Cause it ain't funny!"  
"Ah... I don't think even I'd ever had enough imagination to pull off a trick like that, considering what you've done..."

Flora got up and put her cup in the sink.

"You'll do the dishes tonight, okay?"  
"Wait, Flora!"  
"I'll get my things ready, hurry up, my car won't wait for you."

And out she goes.

"..."  
Frisk takes a bite of one of her biscuits.  
"...What the heck..."

"Frisk!"

A young man walks up to them with a big smile on his face. Frisk closes the car door, while Flora shuts it, brutally.

"Stupid car, stupid..."  
"Flora, can you stop insulting the whole world for a minute?"  
"Shut up, Frisk. I didn't ask for your opinion."

Frisk sighs and walks up to the young man who puts his glasses back on his nose and smiles at him.

"Hey, Luka."

He smiles back at her.

"Hey... uh... Frisk... You look normal... this time."

Frisk frowns at his comment.

"Are you trying to dupe me? This isn't..."  
"No! You were just... well... weird."

Flora sighs.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. It seems like a demon possessed you yesterday, but not today."  
"What the hell are you guys talking about?"  
"Don't you remember?"  
"Well... no, nothing comes to my mind right now."  
"Seriously?"

Frisk starts going inside the building, followed by her two classmates.  
Flora sighs as they walk down the corridors.

"Forgetting such a thing..."  
"Flora! At least explain it to me."

Luka walks into the amphitheater and sits down. The teacher watches them as the group takes their seats.

"Well, you were..."  
"Miss Determ."

Frisk looks up and looks at her teacher, who seems quite irritated for some unknown reason.

"Yes, sir?"  
"...You're brave enough to come back to my class again, after your performance yesterday."  
Frisk looks at Luka and Flora, who doesn't look at her.

"Well, uh... Yeah... Sir."  
"If you still want to show off your knowledge, there is the door to welcome you back. Is that clear?"  
"...Yes... ...sir."  
"Good. Good."

Frisk sits down.

"...What have I done...?"

Flora smiles, softly.

"You've revealed your true talent."  
"That doesn't explain anything!"

Luka sighs and looks at the teacher, who's still glaring at them.

"Well..."

_"Miss Determ?"_

_Frisk is in her pajamas sleeping on the table._  
_Flora looks at her and tries to wake her up, but nothing works._

_"Frisk... Wake up!"_  
_"Did she sleep badly?"_  
_"Well... She came like that, and no matter how hard I tried to convince her, she said she didn't see any harm in wearing pajamas to go out."_  
_"Miss Determ, if you're tired, you should go to the infirmary."_

_Frisk moves slightly and grumbles._

_"Miss Determ!"_

_Frisk, surprised, gets up. She blinks several times, then slumps back down on her table again._

_"Miss Determ, please behave yourself! I can understand the lack of sleep, but we're on the verge of insolence."_  
_"...me?"_  
_"Yes. You."_

_Frisk sighs and looks up._

_"nah."_  
_"Then behave yourself!"_

_He goes back to the chalkboard._

_"46."_  
_"Excuse me?"_  
_"46, the answer. what are you supposed to teach us here? kid's math?"_  
_"...Excuse me...?"_  
_"i said..."_  
_"I hear perfectly well, Miss Determ!"_  
_"okay, okay. wow. calm down, buddy."_  
_"I'm not your buddy, I'm your teacher."_  
_"ok. cool. so... teach us something interesting then, not... that."_  
_"Oh? And what would you call something interesting?"_  
_"You're the teacher. But personally, I have a small preference for quantum physics."_  
_"Because you know something about it perhaps?"_  
_"A little bit, yeah._  
_"Well, since you want to get interesting today, why don't you teach it to us, hm?"_

_Frisk is silent for a few seconds._

_"ok."_

_Then she gets up and walks to the board._

"...and then you started explaining quantum physics to us, and pretty well, actually. The teacher was furious and he tried for the whole hour to interrupt you or mislead you, but you were just... well... pretty pedagogical and calm enough, you took the time to explain it to us in terms familiar enough so that we wouldn't get lost. It was super nice. In the end, the teacher yelled at you, but you fell asleep in the middle of it, which made him even more upset."  
"...It's not possible."  
"And yet, it's true, Frisky! Would you like to do another one? Teach us, Frisky...!"  
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Besides, I don't know a thing about quantum physics!"  
"...But yesterday..."  
"Flora, you've already tried to bullshit me, but this is going too far!"

Frisk sighs and opens her notebook.  
Three words are written on one page.  
_who are you_  
Frisk looks silently at the words.

"...Flora..."  
"I never wrote that!"  
"Then you were possessed..."  
"Scary..."  
"It's not funny! I didn't write that, so..."  
"...Who?"  
"The demon!"  
"Flora!"

Frisk is standing in front of the mirror. She sees words hurriedly written in the corner of it.  
_who are you_  
Frisk sighs.

"This story is far-fetched. Let's just hope it all settles down and gets back to normal."

She comes out of the bathroom and lies down on her bed.

"...Demon. As if."

_*no. stop. don't come closer._

_Frisk doesn't know where she is. It's so dark, but that voice echoes in her head._

_*don't. frisk._

_It's a deep voice, probably male. She feels panic in this voice._

_*please. frisk. don't come near...!_

She hears sobbing.  
A light blinds her.  
She's screaming, but her voice has changed. It's lower, more hoarse. She feels empty and too light. Confusion and anxiety take hold of her.  
She opens her eyes and looks around.  
It's a nameless brothel, sheets, clothes, and papers are everywhere.  
And this is not her room. Where is she?  
She grunts, her voice disturbs her. Has she fallen ill?  
She sits down and looks at her hands.  
Fleshless. Just bones.  
She screams, horrified.

*AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!  
"SANS?!"

The door opens suddenly.  
She looks at the person who's just come in.  
A tall, thin skeleton, wearing an outfit that reminds her of superheroes enters the darkened room.  
She screams again.

"SANS! CALM DOWN! WHAT'S GOING ON? ANOTHER NIGHTMARE?"  
*A nightmare?

She steps back, still frightened by the noisy and intimidating character who just came inside.

"YES, A NIGHTMARE. ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, BROTHER?"  
*...Brother?  
"...SANS, I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU."

She stops for several minutes and then points to herself with her fleshless finger.  
This is still too confusing.

*Sans?  
"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOUR NAME, TOO? YOU'RE NOT GOOD. I'LL BRING YOU MY MORNING SPAGHETTI! I'M SURE IT'LL CLEAR YOUR HEAD! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!"

And then, he locks the door behind him.  
*What...

She gets up and falls as she tries to get up.

* What the...

She's wearing black sport shorts with a blue hoodie. Her feet, probably fleshless, are wearing socks. Has she become... a skeleton?  
She gets up and regains her balance. She looks at herself in the window and sees her reflection.  
She screams.  
That thing. This body.  
Is not human. Or at least not in human form.  
Its... skull is rounder, chubbier than a human skull. It's small, with a round belly, despite the lack of muscle and organs.  
She still tries to put her hand out to check and screams when she can only touch her spine and rib cage.  
She shakes her head, trying to chase away her thoughts when she even wonders how she can have such a shape with only bones.  
Her orbits are empty, her pupils have been replaced by small lights like stars.  
And worst of all.  
A smile seems to be plastered across her face. She can't do anything, can't open it, can't move it, can't do anything.  
Is it even alive?!  
She's moving her hand. It looks like it.

"SANS! COME HERE!

...It's a nightmare, she needs to wake up.  
She tries to pinch herself but realizes she can't pinch.  
Can she even feel pain?  
She bumps her fist against the wall and grunts when the pain passes through her.  
A skeleton doesn't even have nerves. How does a...  
She sighs, it looks like she's going to get a lot of ideas like this.

"SANS!!!"

Oh, yeah, she does. Her name is... Sans.  
Like the font.   
Who names their kid like that, seriously?

"SANS! IF YOU'VE GONE BACK TO SLEEP, I'M COMING TO GET YOU."

Her voice is deep and raspy. And when she talks, her smile doesn't move, the only thing that seems to move on that... face... seems to be... her... eyesockets?

"SANS!!!"  
*I'm coming!

She sees pink slippers and puts them on before slowly descending, trying to get used to the lack of weight, flesh, everything.  
She sees the other skeleton, in a more human form, although he seems more.... great, handing her a plate of spaghetti with glitter.  
...

*Uhhh...  
"EAT! YOU'LL GET BETTER AFTERWARDS!"

...How does she even eat?

*...How?  
"I SAID..."  
*No! I mean... how... eat?

The skeleton looks at her for several seconds, worried.

"WE'LL SEE ALPHYS, AFTERWARDS. YOU'VE ALREADY HAD PROBLEMS WITH YOUR NIGHTMARES, THAT YOU ALWAYS REFUSE TO TELL ME ABOUT, BUT NEVER THAT BADLY."  
*...Alphys?  
"EAT, SANS."  
*...Uhhh...  
"RIGHT... UHHH, I DON'T KNOW, JUST DO WHAT YOU ALWAYS DO! OPEN YOUR TEETH!"  
* But it's not moving!!!!!  
"ARE YOU SERIOUS? JUST... VISUALIZE YOU OPENING UP OR SOMETHING! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CHOOSES TO STAY THAT WAY AFTER ALL!"  
*...Visualize...?

...How do you imagine opening teeth? Isn't it just... instinctual?  
Well, it's worth a shot...

"...SANS! I TOLD YOU TO OPEN YOUR TEETH, NOT... UGH! RIGHT... SHUT IT!"  
*Is it open?"  
"YES! WITH YOUR TONGUE! SHUT IT!"

She feels her teeth coming back together.  
Ok. So, she can open... her teeth. And she has a tongue.  
A skeleton. With a tongue.  
Okay... Okay. And while we're at it, does he have a dick too?  
...  
...  
She. Doesn't. Want. The. Answer. To. That. Question.

"...NOW THAT YOU REMEMBER, EAT. AND... WE'LL GO SEE ALPHYS."  
*...Okay?

Who he is, anyway?  
Didn't he just call her "Brother"?  
Is he... is he his brother or something.  
She opens her teeth and takes a bite of spaghetti that tastes... like... unique.

*So... you're...uhhh  
"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ME?"  
*...I...think?

The skeleton closes his eye sockets and sighs.

"I'M THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THE GREATEST OF ALL THE BROTHERS! YOUR BROTHER!"  
*...Ok. Papyrus. Skeleton. Brother.  
"...YOU SHOULD BE AMAZED TO HAVE ME HAS YOUR BROTHER, SANS!"  
*...Ah?  
"Do you even remember your name is Sans?"  
*...Not really... I only deduced it? Since you call me that.  
"...HM... YOU'VE EVEN FORGOTTEN WHO YOU ARE, THAT'S WORRYING. I HOPE ALPHYS CAN HELP YOU."  
*Yeah.  
"FINISH YOUR PLATE, SANS."  
*Okay...?

She doesn't know what to do. Papyrus has just left, having forgotten that she knows nothing about this place, telling her that a certain Undyne is waiting for him. He didn't fail to tell her to recalibrate her puzzles? and not to be lazy, while telling her to go and see this Alphys she doesn't know.

And here she is in the middle of... Snowdin Town in the Underground, according to the lady in the shop.  
It seems that no humans are in her nightmare, only strange and crazy creatures that she finally gets used to quite quickly.  
Contrary to the feeling of this empty and too light body.  
She scores outside the city and comes across several different monsters of different types and ages.  
The city despite its strange... peculiarities, seems quite friendly, everyone knows each other and despite the cold, the city is full of people with always some noise.  
Frisk sighs and sits down when she sees a small wooden shed with several bottles of condiments behind it. She ignores them.

*Okay. So... Let's see what we know. I'm in the Underground in Snowdin. I'm a skeleton and my name is Sans, like the font. I feel the cold, the pain despite the lack of nerves. I have a chubby figure despite the lack of muscle and organs. Eating is a real complex task.

She sighs.

*I have a brother...? Papyrus. Who is also a skeleton? Rather energetic but with a good heart. Even if he doesn't have one. Uhh... I'm surrounded by monsters with all sorts of different characteristics and looks and it seems that the basis of it all is magic, according to the library books.

She closes her eyes.

*But how did I end up in this body...? Is this a nightmare?  
"Hey! It's Sans!"

She doesn't move for several minutes until she finally understands they're talking to her.  
Or him.  
Does a skeleton even have a gender...?

"Hey! Sans! I've got a question for you! What does a snowman say when he's ready to go on stage?"

Is... the Sans she possessed right now, a real person on the outside?

"Sans?"

Oh, yeah. A joke.

*Uhhh... I dunno.  
"It **snow** time!!!"

She smiles when she hears the laughter of the kid in front of her.

*Good one.  
"Your turn!"

...Oh.  
Oh. God. No.  
Okay, Frisk, think. A joke, a pun, whatever!  
Then she sees a post-it note sitting behind the counter.  
A pun.  
That'll do it!

*Well... Why the skeleton doesn't go to the dance?  
"Tell me !"  
*He doesn't have **anybody**.  
"And he doesn't have the **guts**!"  
*Heheh. Yep!  
"Sweetie? Where are you?"  
"Oh. Mum's looking for me. I'm gonna have to go."  
*Ok.

The monster runs away quickly.  
Frisk watches it leave and then sighs.

* Honestly... It's really crazy... but..."

She smiles.

*I'll admit that this sense of familiarity and fun is welcome in my complicated life.

She sits on the floor as she looks at the room she woke up in this morning, which she has just cleaned.  
She sighs.  
It's been a strange day.  
She found out a lot about the person who's usually in that body.  
Sans, a skeleton, fond of jokes and pranks and pretty good at entertaining children. He's a sentry and he lives in Snowdin in a house decorated with his immense brother, Papyrus. He seems to be lazy...?  
And she is currently in the Underground, a huge underground that we can almost forget that we are locked underground if we don't look through the ceiling with those thousands of crystals that are used to reproduce the day/night cycle. This place is the refuge of a race that was unknown to her: monsters, people that have confronted the humans a long time ago...?  
This underground is ruled by King Asgore who is trying to collect 7 human souls. So far, six have been collected. This is the work of the Royal Guard, so sentries like this Sans must remain on guard in case a human falls here.  
She doesn't know what to make of all the knowledge she's gained here.  
Is this a dream?  
Why is she in that monster's body?  
...What if he's the one who possessed her body last time?  
That would explain the unusual situations Flora and Luka had told her about.  
... She grabs a pencil and looks for something to write on to answer his question.  
_who are you_  
She comes across a notebook.

**reset**

Reset?

**theory confirmed: repetition of certain events according to the behavior of the "anomaly"...**  
**LOAD and SAVE notions to be confirmed?**  
**edit: load and save exist**

Wow. Sounds... deep... and complicated.

**the feeling of deja vu isn't just deja vu anymore. it's happened before, in another timeline.**  
**i'm not the only one who feels it, i'm just... the one who can explain it.**  
**but what difference does it make even if i explain it to them?**  
**they'll forget.**  
**i'll forget.**

_Wow. Okay...Did I just stumble upon the diary of... Sans?_

**the anomaly's still unknown.**  
**my fairly regular contact with the void, where time and space are irrelevant, allows me to have more "deja vu" feelings and be able to explain them.**  
**however, i don't escape the reset rule. everything is erased, only bits of pieces of memories remain.**  
**i just... have more bits than others.**  
**i don't think that's an advantage, but i need to find out who the anomaly is.**  
**  
**

_Is he... a scientist...?_

**edit 2: anomaly still unknown, the "deja vu" is almost always the same, i feel like i'm hearing the same words coming out at the same time even though it's the first time i'm hearing them, technically.**  
**i'm starting to detach myself more and more from this world.**  
**papyrus ends up being so predictable, it's discouraging.**

_I feel like my studies next door is nothing at all. I mean, we're talking about some kind of... a power that erases time but not completely...?_

**edit 3: still tired, have to work.**  
**alphys has tried to help, but no results.**  
**...how many times have i written those words, over and over again...?**  
**how many resets have happened?**  
**edit 4: just... tired.**  
**how can i even progress if a reset occurs? everything is erased, without exception, only bits of memories remain. so fragile, but too disturbing to let it go by as if it were nothing.**  
**edit 4: determination is the source of resets.**  
**edit 5: weird star? link to reset, save or load to be confirmed?**

Then nothing more.  
Frisk sighs.

*Reset, huh...?

She takes the cap off the pen.

*These are complex concepts he's studying. Changes in space and time, remnants of past timelines, erased timelines...

Then she starts writing.

*But he asked me a question so...

_who are you_  
_I'm Frisk Determ._

She feels a phone vibrating.  
She puts the pen down and takes it out of her pocket.

*Ah. Looks like... Papyrus just posted a new picture.

Then she looks at the phone and smiles.  
She opens the contact box and adds her number.

*Frisk the human! Although I don't think this kind of body-switching will happen again.

She opens the messaging app and types a message.

*I've got the number of a monster, what a funny dream, though.

She sends the message to her own number, then closes the phone.

*Hopefully tomorrow will be more... normal.

_**To Frisk the human at 11:04 p.m : I don't think that will work because it's just a dream.** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:04 p.m : who the hell are you, how did you get my number** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:05 p.m: did you play that trick on me? i like pranks but** _ _**swapping** _ _**bodies with a human female body isn't funny** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:05 p.m: hey** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:05 p.m: answer me i have** _ _**a lot of** _ _**question**_ _ **s** _

**_Frisk the human at 11:06 p.m: ignoring me?_ **

_**Frisk the human at 11:06 p.m : how did you get my number** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:06 p.m:** _ _**no screw that. how did you get my phone** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:06 p.m: if paps isn't all right, you're dead** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:07 p.m: i don't fucking care if you live on the surface, you're dead** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:07 p.m: your friend is shit, by the way** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:0** _ _**7** _ _**p.m:** _ _**a** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:07 p.m: n** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:07 p.m: s** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:07 p.m: w** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:07 p.m: e** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:07 p.m: r** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:08 p.m: m** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:08 p.m: e** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:08 p.m: are you sleepin** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:08 p.m: hey** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:08 p.m: knock knock** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:09 p.m: you're supposed to text who's there** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:09 p.m: so you're sleepin or you're ignorin me** _ _**huh** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:09 p.m: ok i give up** _

_**Frisk the human at 11:08 p.m: gn** _


	2. Sparkle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brushing the dust off broken faith!  
> I'm taking my first steps, flying through time and space!  
> Faster than I have ever moved...  
> ...I'm there, reaching out to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still a translation so mistakes are very popular. Like grammar, syntax or vocabulary errors.

*what the hell...

His notebook was still open on his table on a blank page with a sentence written in it.

**_I'm Frisk Determ._ **   
_wasn't that the name of the girl in the dream?_

He doesn't like it. He opens his phone and looks at the many messages he's received.

_yesterday... yesterday... it was that dream again, with that girl... with that name, frisk._

He scrolls through the messages.

_...yesterday, on her phone, my number appeared. And..._

He stares at the words in his notebook again.

*what does it mean... if it's not a dream...

_are... we swaping bodies...?_

*wow.

_it's a stupid idea, but it would explain a lot._

"SANS!!!"  
*comin'.

_i'll have to check it out, hope the library's enough, i'm not really in the mood for hotland._

He puts on his slippers and comes out of his room.  
Papyrus drops off two plates of spaghetti.

"YOU'RE UP EARLY TODAY, BROTHER."  
*yeah. i've got a few things to do.  
"YOU'RE WORKING TODAY SANS."  
*i know, don't worry, i'll be there.

He puts on his jacket and heads for the door.

"Breakfast, Sans!"  
*yeah, yeah, bone appetit.  
"SANS, NO, YOU DON'T GO OUT WITHOUT HAVING..."

The door closes, Papyrus knows very well there's no point in opening it again. His brother probably took a shortcut, as he says.  
He turns his head towards the two plates still smoking.

"I GUESS I'LL JUST HAVE TO BRING HIM HIS BREAKFAST AGAIN... HONESTLY, WHAT WOULD HE DO WITHOUT ME?"

*no.

He puts a book back on the shelf and opens another one, flips through it quickly and puts it away.

*ugh.

He moves on to the next shelf and starts the process all over again.

*damn it.  
"Looking for something?"

He turns his head and sees Monster Kid looking at him, curious.

*yup.  
"What?"  
*heh. well... i don't really know, answers to questions, i guess.  
"Wow. Sound serious, dude."  
*yeaah, kinda.  
"Oh, okay. Guess I'll tell Papyrus..."  
*papyrus?  
"Yup! He asked me to pick you up or something and I saw you here, so...  
*oh. well, i'll be off then.  
"What? But you said you were..."  
*it can wait, don't worry.

_paps is more important than any mirage, intriguing as it is._

_**"A dream?"**_  
*yeah.  
 _ **"You would've been in the body of that female student living on the surface."**_  
*hm, hm.  
 _ **"...That's a bit...silly, as a story, my friend."**_  
*yeah, i know. but i don't really know anyone else who might have more information on it.

_liar. alphys would know. alphys has access to the lab. alphys has access to the files._   
****

_**"...Oh, I'm not really a scientist, you know. I just know a lot of stories."**_  
*...well?  
 _ **"...Well... ...you're not wrong, I do know a little bit about what you're going through. My son's been through it."**_  
*...  
 _ **"He... is..... He's gone. And neither is she."**_  
*sorry.  
 _ **"No, it's okay. It's been a long time now. I'm glad my stories can help you."**_  
*...if you say so.  
 _ **"...What you're going through is... well, it doesn't really have a name, but it can be seen as a kind of bond, an exchange between two individuals."**_  
*...  
 _ **"This exchange can be very minor. We can have dreams of another person's life, sudden emotions, knowledge that is not ours. But sometimes it can go further, as in your case, a body-swapping."**_  
*...can we stop this exchange?  
 _ **"Yes. If the two people meet, this will stop."**_  
*i don't see why this is coming, though.  
 _ **"...It's not explainable, not many monsters have experienced it. Legend said that the stars bind compatible people together and force them to get to know and meet each other. A more scientific theory would suggest that it's our magic that manifests itself in times of torment, to fuel hope by giving the illusion of escaping from our prison by bonding with an outsider."**_  
*so it's always with a human?  
 _ **"Yes, it is.**_  
*hm.  
 _ **"Don't think of it as a curse, my friend, but as a chance, a way to escape from here, for a short time. How many times have you changed bodies?"**_  
*two.  
 _ **"I see..."**_  
*i don't like it. i have a brother. what if they're a bad person? what if...  
 _ **"Don't worry, the stars never choose two incompatible people."**_

Sans sighs.

*do you believe in that legend?  
 _ **"Personally, I believe both versions. I think it's as much about rekindling our hope in difficult times as it is about meeting someone who will be closer to us than we realize. This is what happened to my son, after all."**_

Sans stares for several long seconds at his messages.

*frisk the human, huh.

He smiles and changes the name.

*sounds better.

_**Frisky the human is calling...** _

He's surprised by the call, but responds, rather skeptical.

"Okay, whoever you are, you will stop messing with me and my life, you jerk!  
*uuh... heya?  
"Just once, okay. I can accept it and forgive. But not two, damn it! Stop acting like a teacher when you're in my body, what am I supposed to do next, eh?! I don't know a thing about quantum physics! And the teacher hates me now! What do you want me to say? Hey, sorry, some weird skeleton living in a cave possesses my body when I possess his and he might do something stupid?!"  
*...you know?  
"Because you're the one responsible for this strange possession, too?!"  
*what? no. don't blame me when you don't know what you're talking about, buddy.  
"My name is Frisk, Sans. Not buddy. And I'm not your buddy when all you do is ruin my life!"  
*...uhh... that sounds... deep.  
"Cause it does! I'm not gonna flunk out of school because some idiot is having fun possessing the bodies of young women who are busy!"  
*hey now, that's rude.  
"Oh yeah? You want me to tell you what's rude about that story? The way you're acting in my body."  
*and instead of blaming me for all the world's ills, why don't you calm down and we discuss this unforeseen situation calmly?  
"I AM CALM!!!!"  
*yeah. i'm convinced. completely.

He hears her taking deep breaths.

"I needed that."  
*not me.  
"It's all your fault. So I wouldn't complain if I were you."  
*okay, okay.

He sighs.  
They remain silent for several seconds, not daring to say a word.

"...We exchange bodies."  
*yup.  
"...Is it because of you?"  
*nope. it's completely random.  
"...Seriously?"  
*yup.  
"How do we stop this?"  
*by meeting each other, in person.  
"All right, fine. Where... do you live?"  
*heh. it's going to be more complicated than you think, frisky.  
"Don't. Call. Me. Like that."  
*that's not what your name says on my phone.  
"...I didn't put..."  
*oh yeah, about it, you leave your number on strangers' phones? heh heh. yup. frisky.  
"Oh, my God, no! I thought it was a dream! A dream has no consequences, I didn't think..."  
*riiiiight.  
"Shut. Up."

Sans laughs.

"You haven't explained to me why meeting you is going to be complicated."  
*...you've noticed i live underground, right?  
"Yes, what a strange way to live, but never mind, I'm not here to judge..."  
*i didn't choose it.  
"...What?"  
*monsters have been trapped underground for centuries. and you seem to have forgotten us, humans. ah. typical.  
"...Monsters are fairy-tale creatures.  
*do i need to remind you that you were in my body just yesterday?  
"This is not... Ugh, whatever. Why are you locked underneath?"  
*long ago, two races ruled over earth...  
"I'm not in the mood for a story...!"  
*do you want your explanation or not?  
"...Yes."  
*well, once upon a time, two races ruled on the surface. humans and monsters. but one day, a war broke out between the two races and the humans won. they decided to lock us under a mountain, Mount Ebbot, with a very powerful spell, a barrier, that allowed us to get inside the barrier, but no one could get out.  
"..."  
*and it's been like that for centuries. we, monsters, have been trying to get to the surface, without success. and you, peacefully, forget us as if we never existed.

He sighs.

*it's not like it matters.  
"...And so, you can't get out."  
*yup.  
"...So we can't meet to stop it."  
*yup.  
"...Honestly, I'm already having problems with my studies, I don't want any more burdens..."

She sighs.

"Do you know when our bodies swap?"  
*i dunno, it's random.  
"Great!"

Sans rolls his eye lights when he hears her sarcasm.

"...Well, we need to get organized."  
*excuse me?  
"I'm a major student and that studies cost my life and more, I'm not going to let you break my dream just so you can play with my body. We're going to set some rules and we're not going to transcend it. Is that clear?"  
*uuhh...  
"Well, first of all, my studies must not be neglected, that means homework must be done, exams properly completed and school attendance compulsory. I don't want any extra attention or problems with my classmates or teachers."  
*...  
"The others must not suspect anything. That means getting dressed and fixing your hair in the morning! Be respectful, courteous, hard-working and discreet. That's enough. Oh yes, I forgot..."

Sans sighs, letting her talking, listening. Maybe.

"DON'T TOUCH MY BREASTS LIKE A VULGAR PERVERT!!!!"  
*wow, can we... turn the volume down?  
"I know you did it! Twice! And it's got to stop! And it has to stop now."  
*your breasts... you mean the flesh balloons in front?  
"Oh, my God."  
*i'm a skeleton, i remind you, i don't have flesh.  
"No kidding."  
*...are you done?  
"...Yes. Your turn."  
*take care of my brother. don't rush him. make him happy no matter what. be as discreet about this problem... i think that's all.  
"You're a sentry... don't you give a shit about your job?"  
*...nah.

He looks at his guard post and notices a vine in the distance.  
...A vine?

*...ah. well, one more thing. 

A... vine.

*if you notice anything suspicious, memory loss or anything like that, call me, no matter what time, even studies or work hours. It's important.  
"My classes are important."  
*not as important as the time.  
"...What?"  
*anyway, it's not like you're gonna remember it, anyway.  
"...What are you talking about...?"  
*nothing, just follow these instructions and you'll be fine.  
"I'll write them down."  
*you're not going to have that paper with you when you're in my body.*  
"I'm doing them for you, freak, I don't want to get in trouble again."  
*...  
"I also have a weekend job to pay the rent, it's at night, at 6 pm in a bar, don't be late."  
*ok.  
"Don't spend my money without thinking. I need it."  
*ok.  
"Don't mess with my body."  
*ok.  
"Help my roommate when you can."  
*ok.  
"...I hope you're listening to me because I won't repeat myself."  
*ok.  
"Ugh..."

He hears a ringing sound from the phone.

"Okay, I'm going. Next time you're in my body, you respect those rules."  
*ok.  
"...I hope so."

She hangs up.  
Sans sighs, quite relieved.

*god, she and papyrus would get along well with that sick organization mind.

He looks at the place where he saw the vine.  
But it's not there anymore.

"Frisk!"

The young lady turns her head to see Luka give her a wave.

"Luka? What are you doing here?"  
"I came to see you."  
"...I'm working."  
"Oh, uh... yes! I know! But I wanted to... encourage you?"

Frisk is silent.

"...Uhh... Okay? Do you need anything?"  
"...Uh... Coffee!"  
"...It's late, Luka. You shouldn't take coffee at this hour. I'll make you some tea."

She walks behind the bar.

"...Who's that?"  
"A friend of mine from college."  
"...A boyfriend?"  
"No, he isn't."  
"...If you say so."

Frisk sighs. She pulls out a cup, boils the water.

"You want sugar?"  
"...No... I'm good."  
"Okay."  
"...Uh... Frisk?"

She pours the water into the cup and comes back to him.

"Thank you."  
"You're welcome."  
"Frisk! Table nine!"  
"Coming!

She ignores Luka's gaze and moves on to the next table.

"...I'm never gonna be able to say it..."  
"Did you say something?  
She turns around, he blushes and doesn't look at her.  
"No! No... nothing."  
"...Okay."

Frisk walks in the front door.

"I ordered sushi."  
"...Seriously...?"  
"Yes."  
"You had to cook, Flora. I'll eat fast food once in a while, but not every day."  
"I can do whatever I want since I decide what we eat. And I can't cook anyway."  
"Flora..."  
"Go mind your own business, Frisk. My health is my health. I'll fuck it if I want to."  
"Wow, the kid's thinking. You should take care of yourself, your health is..."  
"Will you shut the fuck up?"  
"...Flora, I only care about you."  
"...I didn't ask you to care."

Frisk is silent and sighs.

"...Thank you."  
"Did you do the laundry?"  
"No, I haven't."  
"Flora!"  
"Oh God! Will you stop it?"  
"How old are you? Seven? Behave like a grown-up once in a while! We have rules..."  
"That's right, we do."

Frisk rolls her eyes.

"What would you do if I wasn't here, honestly?"  
"It'd be quieter, first."

The doorbell rings.

"I'll get it."  
"Thank you."

"So..."

Frisk turns the page in her book as she swallows one sushi.

"Are you having an existential crisis?"  
"...What?"  
"I don't know, someday you're acting weird and rebelling."  
"...I... am... rebelling?"  
"...Somehow, the pretty, innocent, fragile little Frisk suddenly becomes sassy Frisk."  
"...I'm gonna kill him..."  
"who?"  
"Nothing, just a fool."  
"...Oh? A fool and a fool, what a beautiful pair."  
"You know, there are better ways to show someone affection than by insulting them."  
"Fuck you. And I could say the same thing since when do you have a boyfriend?"  
"Since when what?! I haven't..."  
"Right, you spend all your time writing messages on your phone."  
"That's not... Stop making deductions like that when you don't even know the situation."  
"...Luka's gonna be heartbroken."  
"Luka's not gonna be heartbroken because there's nothing between us, either with... that idiot or Luka!"  
"Reeeally...?"  
"Yes."  
"...If you say so."  
"Anyway, I don't even know this guy."  
"Then why are you talking to him?"  
"...I have issues with him, and I need to deal with it."

Her phone's buzzing.

"...Your stranger?

She looks at the screen.

_**Stupid Monster at 10:37 p.m.: did you read my notes?** _

"...Yeah."  
"Ah...? Are you sure you're not..."  
"Flora, stop."  
"I bet you'll end up kissing this stranger at the end."  
"Absolutely not. That will be stupid."

_How do you even kiss a skeleton?_   
_No, don't even think about it, Frisk._

**_Human at 10:38 p.m.: Yeah, I did._ **

**_Stupid Monster at 10:38 p.m.: Okay._ **

"...Why is he asking me that question if..."  
"You were saying?"  
"Nothing, Flora."

**_Frisk: did you throw the ketchup of the fridge?_ **

**_sansnational: Don't buy so much ketchup, do you know what is "health"?!_ **

**_Freak: don't tell my brother that you don't like what he cooks!_ **

**_the human: Stop attracting attention, I'm tired of having comments of your behavior!_ **

**_Frisk: your friend is completely nuts._ **

**_sansnational: Don't judge my friendships when all you do is go to a bar._ **

**_Freak: why are skeletons so calm?_ **

**_fleshy thing: Stop sending me jokes during classes._ **

**_sansnational: Go to work!_ **

**_Frisk: That's your job, not mine._ **

**_Frisk: help me. there's blood. too much blood.  
_ **

**_sansnational: What are you talking about?  
_ **

**_Frisk send a picture.  
_ **

**_sansnational: Don't send me a picture of that!  
_ **

**_Frisk: wth is that  
_ **

**_sansnational: It's periods. Just take a tampon.  
_ **

**_Frisk: I'm not going to insert it there.  
_ **

**_sansnational: You have to.  
_ **

**_Frisk: nope. i'm just... not going outside.  
_ **

**_sansnational: No! You go! I have work.  
_ **

**_Frisk: fuck work. that hurts like hell._ **

**_skeleton with flesh and skin: Buying junk food is not allowed._ **

**_Human without flesh and skin: throwing away my stock of hot dogs and hot cats is not allowed either._ **

**_Frisk send a picture._ **

**_Frisk: i'm goin at school like that, it's funny._ **

**_sansy xoxoxo: No. Dress right, you're not going to go to college as a femme fatale._ **

**_Frisk: i am. and you can't stop me._ **   
**_Frisk: your friend approves, i've got permission._ **

**_sansy xoxoxo: Sans. No._ **   
**_sansy xoxoxo: Don't do that._ **   
**_sansy xoxoxo: I don't want any trouble._ **   
**_sansy xoxoxo: Have mercy!_ **

**_Frisk: nope_ **

**_lil human: Stop putting names like that for my number! Flora thinks I have a boyfriend now!  
_ **

**_Stupidest thing in the world: buy ya love me darlin dont ya?  
_ **

**_lil human: No, I don't. You're stupid, useless and lazy.  
_ **

**_Stupidest thing in the world: aw sweatheart you didn't have to, it's too sweet for me.  
_ **

**_lil human: Shut up. Don't send me messages.  
lil human: you are the boyfriend of frihcbehdzedshb  
_ **

**_Stupidest thing in the world: i am, she's just shyyy  
_ **

**_lil human: Flora take my phone.  
lil human: I'm going to block you forever.  
_ **

**_Stupidest thing in the world: you cant.  
_ **

**_lil human: I will.  
_ **

**_Stupidest thing in the world: nooooooo sweetie  
Stupidest thing in the world: darlin  
Stupidest thing in the world: sweet pie  
Stupidest thing in the world: verte bae  
_ **

**_lil human: Stop sending me messages!!!_ **

**_Frisk: did you hear about the skeleton that dropped out of school?  
_ **

**_verte bae: Stop sending me messages. Go to work, you're in class._ **

**_Frisk: he just didn't have the stomach for it.  
_ **

**_verte bae: Go to work. I work for you, so do the same.  
_ **

**_Frisk: you don't have to, you can do nothing. it's completely normal. because that's what i usually do.  
_ **

**_verte bae: Speaking of work, I've learned that your job as a sentry is to collect human souls. What the hell does that mean?  
_ **

**_Frisk: i can't answer that, i'm in class, call me back later, xoxo.  
_ **

**_verte bae: Stop doing that. It's completely stupid.  
verte bae: And answer me! What is that?  
_ **

**_Frisk: the barrier will only break if we harvest 7 human souls.  
_ **

**_verte bae: And how do you do that?  
_ **

**_Frisk: use your imagination.  
_ **

**_verte bae: ...You kill them.  
_ **

**_Frisk: yup.  
_ **

**_verte bae: Uh, have I been talking to a murderer all along?  
_ **

**_Frisk: nah. i haven't done anything. neither have paps. but our king, and gerson, the retired captain of the royal guard, have taken their souls. undyne too, i think.  
_ **

**_verte bae: Undyne is Papyrus' best friend._ ** **_And you accept that, quietly.  
_ **

**_Frisk: don't judge our actions when all you do is slaughter and harass your owns. hypocrites. and it's not like we really have a choice. do you know what it's like to live your whole life hearing about the sun, but never see it?  
Frisk: believe me, i spend 15 minutes every morning looking at the sun in the morning when i'm in your body.  
Frisk: it's disheartening to think that you're living with it, and you've even forgotten what you've done.  
_ **

**_verte bae: Sorry. I can't really repent for mistakes I haven't made.  
_ **

**_Frisk: it's alright. it's not like we're getting out of here anyway. no one's going out underground.  
_ **

**_Frisk send you a picture.  
_ **

**_Frisk: Record this. I'll show it to paps.  
_ **

**_verte bae:...okay._ **

**_the human: Hey. I know you touched my chest again yesterday. Flora told me._ **   
**_the human: I already told you not to do that._ **   
**_The human: Ignoring me isn't funny, Sans._ **

Frisk sighs and puts her phone down.

**_The human: You didn't come to work yesterday either._ **   
**_the human: I know I brought up a serious subject yesterday, but that's no reason to ignore me._ **   
**_the human: I have my problems too and playing innocent doesn't help you._ **   
**_the human: Answer me._ **

Frisk grunts and decides to call him.

"You better answer, skeleton."

**_the human is calling..._ **

A phone rings in the snow.  
But no one picks it up.  
It's lying next to a blue jacket in the snow.  
Not far from that jacket is a red scarf.

**_the human is calling..._ **

The phone is ringing, but no one answers the call.  
It's total silence, there's only this ringing phone.  
And the person for whom the call is intended is no longer there.  
Just.  
A pile of dust.  
But a monster is getting closer to the phone.  
A flower.  
They're looking at the phone with interest.

"A human...? Is this your secret, Trashbag?"

The call is cut off.

"...Interesting."

**LOAD**


	3. Many previous existences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where should I start? How should I explain?  
> Wanna tell you everything that happened while you were in a long, long dream  
> I flew through dozens of skies  
> To tell you adventures I've been through hundreds of millions of light-years' worth  
> But now I'm here, finally seeing you reflected in my eyes

_"Sans."_  
_"Sans."_  
_"Sans."_  
_*wait! who... are you...?_  
_"..."_  
_*...who..._  
_"i'm frisk."_

He wakes up, flinching.  
He tries to catch his breath.

*...what the hell was that...?

Then a realization hits him.

*wait, yesterday... yesterday... there was...

His thoughts were jumbled.  
Everything's so confused.  
But finally, he remembers.  
Dust.  
A flower.  
Papyrus.  
Dead.  
He comes out of his room immediately.

*papyrus!  
"BROTHER?"

His voice comes from the ground floor.  
Sans comes down the stairs and sees his brother in front of the TV watching another Mettaton movie.

"ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?"  
*...i... don't know.

_A flower._  
_"Smiley Trashbag."_

Memories of the old RESETs were never clearer. A sense of deja vu, yes, but never such clear memories.  
A flower.  
He needs to write that down before he forgets.  
He teleports himself to his room and opens his notebook.  
His phone rings.  
He ignores it and starts writing.  
One more time.  
He doesn't pay any attention to it.  
Then another one.  
He grunts and glances at the screen.

_**the human is calling...** _

He sighs but picks it up.

*hey.  
"It's not nice to ignore me! It's the sixth time I've called you!"

He's looking at his notifications.

_**Four missed calls from the human** _

*uh... no. just four.  
"I can count, Sans, and I know how many times you've ignored me."  
*well, my phone shows four missed calls.

the human send you a picture.

That was a screen capture from her phone.

**_Six calls to verte bae._ **

He laughs when he sees the name.

*verte bae, heh... you didn't change it? you finally accepted our relationship, sweetie?  
"What? No! I just...forget to change it!"  
*riiight.  
"Don't change the subject! The point is I'm right and you're wrong."  
*you're obstinate.

He takes a screenshot of his own phone and sends it to her.  
She stays there for several seconds, silent.

"...Uhhh. Your phone is bugging, Sans. It's Friday, not Thursday."  
*...what?  
"Update it or something because it's not gonna be useful, you know."  
*don't say crap, yesterday, it was...

_Sans wakes up grunting, as Papyrus turned up the volume of the TV._  
_*paaaaps._  
_He looks at his phone to check the date and sees..._

*...friday.  
"...Uh... Yeah? What's up? Did you just understand what I just said or..."  
*...yesterday was friday.  
"It is Friday."  
*no, i mean... in the previous timeline, it was friday. and it's friday for you.  
"Yes?"  
*i've only got four missed calls, you've got six.

He stays silent.

*have we exchanged messages before?  
"Before I called you? Well, I'd written about... Oh, yeah, before I forget...! Will you stop touching my chest when you're in my body? Don't even try to hide it, Flora saw you yesterday!"  
*...yesterday. thursday.  
"Yes. Yesterday."  
*you were in my body.  
"Yes, I was.  
*...thursday... missed calls. you've got some messages you sent me but i haven't got anything...

He grumbles.

*papyrus!  
"SANS? WHY ARE YOU..."  
*what day is it?  
"WHY..."  
*what day is it.

Papyrus stares at him for several minutes and then sighs.

"...THURSDAY."  
*thursday.  
"YES."  
"Hey, Sans, I'm talking to you, you know!"

He teleports himself back to his room.

*frisk, listen to me. today, on the surface, there was a reset. friday.  
"...A reset? Isn't that what you wrote in your diary?"  
*yes. and that friday, i and papyrus were killed.  
"...Wait, what?"  
*by a monster, a flower. i don't know who is it. and i've never remembered the previous timelines so vividly.  
"Wait, wait, wait, Sans..."  
*when did you call me?  
"Uh... 10:23"  
*so around 10 o'clock, i was already dead.  
"Do you realize what you're saying?  
*it seems that despite the resets, we have the same time slot. so the resets only affect the days. does that mean the anomaly can only save once in a day?  
"Sans..."  
*the anomaly's a monster, a flower to be precise, it seems to know me. how could a monster end up with determination...?  
"..."  
*the surface is untouched by resets, your day goes on, as usual, only my time has been delayed by a day. wait... what year is it, what month is it... frisk!  
"Friday, March 30, 20XX"  
*...we have a year and a week gap between you and me.  
"What?!"  
*i can't even imagine coming to the surface. all this time...  
"...It's...It's...It's scary."  
*heh. it's been my life for hundreds of timelines, frisky.  
"Don't call me that."  
*right.

He sighs and puts down his pencil.

*...what makes me remember...?  
"remember what?"  
*this. resets are supposed to erase our memory but i always had a greater sense of deja vu to know it wasn't just this. but now i remember it perfectly.  
"...I don't know. You're in touch with me, someone who's not touched by..."  
*exactly. i'm connected, somehow, to the surface, so my memories are unaffected by the reset. what a strange discovery. our connection has many secrets. how is it that...  
"Hey, nerd. Take it easy. Hey, I'll rename you that."

Sans rolls his eye lights.

*i'm just trying to understand...  
"...How the world works. You don't know how many times I've heard that sentence."  
*more how all the misfortunes life throws at me works, but your sentence is more positive.

He hears her sigh.

"So, what does it all mean? That you're going to face the one who's ruining your life or something?"  
*i wish. but resets mean you can't get rid of the person who has the power. going back in time is a real pain in the ass.  
"...So?"  
*so i know the threat to me, you and papyrus.  
"Me? I live on the surface."  
*you're in my body now and then, frisk.  
"oh."  
*if you see a talking flower, just run away no matter what. and call me. aside from echo flowers, of course.  
"Maybe I can help you to..."  
*n o.

She doesn't know how, but she hears him without hearing his voice.  
That's scary.

*...you're gonna put yourself in danger, frisk. and i.you don't know how to use my magic, so don't put yourself in dangerous situations. understand?  
"...You're 1 HP, you're no better."  
*i've lived my whole life with that. i can handle myself. you can't.  
"...Ok. But I'm on the surface, I've got a lot more books, and a huge source of information, maybe I can..."  
*frisk.  
"I want to help you, Sans."

He sighs.

*all right. but only on the surface.  
"...Okay. If I find anything, I'll send this to you."

And she hangs up.  
He sighs, exhausted.

*...frisk...

Unconsciously, he slowly touches a handmade bracelet still on his left wrist.

"Time travel, you say?"

Frisk glances behind her as she analyzes each site, trying to set aside the most outlandish theories. Flora's on the couch eating a bag of chips.

"Get in the kitchen, I know you're not going to cleans after you make the couch disgusting, so go eat in the kitchen."  
"You'll do it for me."  
"Flora..."  
"And since when do you care about this kind of stuff? Time travel... theories..."  
"...I'm just curious."  
"...I don't believe you."  
"What do you care? It doesn't involve you."

Flora shrugs her shoulders.  
Frisk sighs.

"Come on, tell me!!!! What's it all about? For... who?"  
"...I have a friend who has a lot of deja vu, but he doesn't have access to everything we have, so I offered to do some research for him."  
"Your vertebae?"  
"My WHAT?!"  
"I don't know, you were texting that guy a lot yesterday."  
"I was, uh..."

She sighs.

"A boyfriend?"  
"No! He's a... ...friend."  
"You hesitated."  
"No, I didn't."  
"Frisky's found someone!!!!"  
" Nonsense."  
"Well, at least you won't have Luka after you anymore."  
"Luka's not hitting on me, Flora."  
"Riiight, tell that to the loving gaze that follows your every move. Creepy."

Frisk rolls her eyes.

"Speaking of him, I'm not sure what happened yesterday, but you had a moment of clarity."  
"What's that?"

Flora shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't know. Luka was going to ask you out on a date for the umpteenth time, and contrary to your usual naive acceptance of a "friendly meeting," you refused, making up some lame excuse, and I knew you hadn't anything planned. I covered for you, of course, but then again, I don't see you lying often. That's a change."  
"Really?"  
"Yup. You often forget what happened the night before, it's not normal that I have to tell you what you did, you know. You should go see a doctor."  
"Says the one who's on medication."  
"Fuck you."

Frisk smiles.

"Speaking of Luka..."  
"Hm?"  
"He's a big fan of those theories about paranormal stuff and all, if your thing's weird enough, you could ask him."  
"...Am I dreaming where you just told me to go see him?"  
"It's not like I want you to do it! You stupid idiot!"

**_Nerd sent you pictures._ **

**_Nerd at 11:47: save this._ **

**_the human at 11:47: What is it?_ **

**_Nerd at 11:47: the reset journal with the different pages, make sure it's not visible to everyone._ **

**_the human at 11:48: Why are you sending this to me?_ **

**_Nerd at 11:48: if there is a reset or a problem, there will be at least a second copy of this information._ **

**_the human at 11:48: Ok._ **  
**_the human at 11:48: Flora told me you refuse a "date" with Luka._ **  
**_the human at 11:50: Sans?_ **

**_Nerd at 11:50: yeah?_ **

**_the human at 11:50: Why did you do that? Luka is my friend._ **  
**_the human at 11:52: Sans, we already said to try to respect each other's lives as much as possible._ **

**_Nerd at 11:52: I don't see how refusing to see a "supposed" friend, change your life, frisk. there's nothing suspicious about it since you are always busy._ **

**_the human at 11:52: And it turns out that this time it wasn't the case._ **

**_Nerd at 11:52: a lie never hurts if it's not discovered._ **

**_the human at 11:52: Sans, why?_ **  
**_the human at 11:55: Sans, stop ignoring me._ **  
**_the human at 11:58: Are you still dead?_ **  
**_the human at 11:59: Saaaaaaaaaaannnnnssssssss_ **

**_Saaaaaaaannnnnssssss at 11:59: i'm quite undead, ya know._ **  
**_Saaaaaaaannnnnssssss at 12: 00: so you're ignoring me now, huh?_ **  
**_Saaaaaaaannnnnssssss at 12: 04: i know you're smiling._ **  
**_Saaaaaaaaannnnnnnssssss at 12: 05: friiiiiiiiiisssskkk_ **

**_friiiiiiiiiisssskkk at 12:05: You did a grave mistake. https://www.welovepuns.com/_ **

**_Saaaaaaaannnnnssssss at 12:05: omg_ **

**_friiiiiiiiiisssskkk at 12:06: Wait!!!_ **

**_Saaaaaaaannnnnssssssss at 12:06: are you searching puns for me?_ **

**_friiiiiiiiiisssskkk at 12:06: no!_ **

**_Saaaaaaaaannnnnnnssssss at 12:06: omg._ **  
**_Saaaaaaaannnnnnnssssss at 12: 06: i think i'm in love._ **

**_friiiiiiiiiisssskkk at 12:07: Shut up! I can hear you laughing from here!_ **

**_Saaaaaaaannnnnssssss at 12:07: i am touched by such dedication._ **  
**_Saaaaaaaannnnnnnssssss at 12:07: this is the best confession i have ever had._ **  
**_Saaaaaaaannnnnnnssssss at 12:08: don't ignore me!_ **  
**_Saaaaaaaannnnnnnssssss at 12:09: darling_ **  
**_Saaaaaaaaaannnnnssssssss at 12:10: sweatheart_ **  
**_Saaaaaaaaaannnnnssssssss at 12:10: babyyyyy_ **

**_friiiiiiiiiisssskkk at 12:10: I'm at work, leave me alone._ **

"Frisk!"

She looks up.  
She puts her phone down when she sees Luka sitting across from her.

"Hey."  
"How's it going? Yesterday, I didn't see you much, you were pretty busy."  
"Ah?"

He nods.

"Don't worry, I don't blame you! The exams are coming soon so... it must be complicated..."

Frisk sighs.

"Yeah, well... I get you the usual?"

He nods.  
She turns around and starts pulling out a cup.

"You know, I've noticed that some days you work more than others."  
"Oh? Could you... uh... expand?"  
She starts making coffee and turns her head.  
"Uh... I don't know, you just don't work like you always do, you reorganize your papers, rewrite them so they're clearer, add examples, finish faster than the teacher, and all that... You said someone is going to throw a tantrum if you didn't... It's kind of weird! Like you're different some days!"  
"...Ehh...... Yeah."  
"What's going on with you, Frisk? Are you in trouble or something? You know if things ain't right with Flora, you can come with me, you know."

She puts his cup in front of him.

"No, that's okay. I ain't got no problem with Flora, don't worry about it."

_"Speaking of Luka, he's a big fan of those theories about paranormal stuff and stuff. If your thing's weird enough, you could ask him."_

"Hey, uh... Flora said something to me today."  
"She did?"

Frisk nods.

"She told me you like the paranormal, out of the ordinary events?"  
"Uhh... Yeah, a little bit. Let's just say I like to understand how people think about these events, theories, reactions..."  
"...Would you know anything about... say, repetitive deja vu feelings?"  
"A little bit. There's a lot of things, but so many contradictions, so there's not a lot that makes sense, but I can..."  
"Frisk!"

She looks up and sees her colleague waving at her.

"You know what, tell me about it later, tomorrow, with a cup of coffee, okay?"  
"I thought you were busy?"  
"Ah, well..."

Sans, I swear...

"No worry, I'll find a moment, I must relax a little with what happens, ahaha..."  
"Uh... Ok! But why..."  
"Let's say that I'm interested in it then, as you know more than me..."

His eyes seem to be shining. Frisk sighs.

"Okay! It works! Tomorrow!"

She walks towards her colleague.

"Tomorrow..."

He sighs lovingly.

Frisk is lying on the couch watching a documentary with a bag of chips in her hand.

"Didn't you tell me yesterday we shouldn't eat on the couch because it's it sucks to clean?"

Frisk looks at Flora and shrugs.

"maybe."  
"You're so contradictory, Frisk."  
"from you? hilarious."  
"Fuck you."  
"later."  
"You're a pain in the ass for always wanting to have the last word!"

Frisk shrugs.  
She watches the documentary.

"Aren't you supposed to have something this afternoon?"  
"if you're talking about studying, i already did."  
"No, I'm talking about your date with Luka."  
"...w h a t ?"

She turns around immediately.  
"Wow! Easy with the look! I'm not the one who wanted to go to him!"

Frisk rolls his eyes.

"what do you mean the date with luka? i told him no."  
"Well, not yesterday, you even asked me to remind you today in case you forgot. You're so weird, taking a date when you're already dating someone else... Wait, you're cheating?!"  
"...no."

Frisk gets up immediately and picks up her phone. She immediately removes the notification reminding her of her date.  
She selects the contact of a certain skeleton possessed by a human.

**_Frisk at 2:05 PM: frisk, wth_ **  
**_Frisk at 2:05 PM: why do you have a date with luka?_ **  
**_Frisk at 2:07 PM: frisk_ **

**_vertebae at 2:07 PM: Sorry, I was with your brother._ **  
**_vertebae at 2:07 PM: First, it's not a date, it's just a friendly meeting for information for YOUR problems._ **  
**_vertebae at 2:07 PM: Next, yes, you're going to go, Sans. And I swear I'll call Flora to make you go if I have to._ **  
**_vertebae at 2:07 PM: And anyway, it's more about you than me, so you might as well discuss it among yourselves, right?_ **

**_Frisk at 2:08 PM: i'm not going to talk to a stranger about resets, frisk._ **  
**_Frisk at 2:08 PM: and especially not to your friend who's got a crush on you._ **

**_vertebae at 2:08 PM: Luka doesn't like me, but what's the idea of you and Flora saying that to me again?_ **

**_Frisk at 2:08 PM: maybe we see what's going on and we don't naively believe that a person who comes to your workplace every day, who wants to be served only by you and who harassing you with messages, is just a friend._ **

**_vertebae at 2:09 PM: You are harassing me with messages._ **

**_Frisk at 2:09 PM: That's not the same situation at all, frisk._ **  
**_Frisk at 2:09 PM: I'll reschedule or cancel your appointment._ **

**_vertebae at 2:09 PM: Sans, no!_ **  
**_vertebae at 2:09 PM: Come on! I did this for you, ok?_ **

**_Frisk at 2:05 PM: frisk, wth_ **  
**_Frisk at 2:05 PM: why do you have a date with luka?_ **  
**_Frisk at 2:07 PM: frisk_ **

**_vertebae at 2:07 PM: Sorry, I was with your brother._ **  
**_vertebae at 2:07 PM: First, it's not a date, it's just a friendly meeting for information for YOUR problems._ **  
**_vertebae at 2:07 PM: Next, yes, you're going to go, Sans. And I swear I'll call Flora to make you go if I have to._ **  
**_vertebae at 2:07 PM: And anyway, it's more about you than me, so you might as well discuss it among yourselves, right?_ **

**_Frisk at 2:08 PM: i'm not going to talk to a stranger about resets, frisk._ **  
**_Frisk at 2:08 PM: and especially not to your friend who's got a crush on you._ **

**_vertebae at 2:08 PM: Luka doesn't like me, but what's the idea of you and Flora saying that to me again?_ **

**_Frisk at 2:08 PM: maybe we see what's going on and we don't naively believe that a person who comes to your workplace every day, who wants to be served only by you and who harassing you with messages, is just a friend._ **

**_vertebae at 2:09 PM: You are harassing me with messages._ **

**_Frisk at 2:09 PM: That's not the same situation at all, frisk._ **  
**_Frisk at 2:09 PM: I'll reschedule or cancel your appointment._ **

**_vertebae at 2:09 PM: Sans, no!_ **  
**_vertebae at 2:09 PM: Come on! I did this for you, ok?_ **

"Frisk? Are you okay?"

Frisk closes her eyes and sighs.

"Is he your boyfriend? You're all red."  
"i'm not..."

She takes a deep breath.

"stupid human..."

**_vertabae at 2:09 PM: You can at least make the effort to go. I know you don't like Luka, but you just ask him for what you need by being vague and that's fine._ **  
**_vertebae at 2:10 PM: Please?_ **

  
**_Frisk at 2:12 PM: ok_ **

Frisk puts her phone in her pocket and sighs.

"when... oh shit."

She turns off the TV and rushes to the front door.

"Are you finally going?"  
"I don't have a choice!"

She grabs her jacket and opens the door.

"What do you mean, you don't have a choice?"

Frisk closes the door behind her and calls Sans.

*Hello?  
"frisk, where should i go?"  
*Are you going there?  
"yes. where should i go?"  
*Uhh... It's in the street of the apartment, there's a cafe in the corner of the street. Take right and you'll be there. I think Luka will already be there.  
"awesome."  
She rolls her eyes and grunts when she realizes she just made sarcasm.

"frisk, you're poisoning me with your sarcasm."  
*I didn't do anything!  
"i just did!"  
*...Has your level of humor finally improved?

Frisk smiles.

"nah. it's still punny."

She laughs as he hangs up.  
She stops by the coffee shop and sees Luka waving. She sighs.

*let's just get to the point.

She sees the coffee menu panel and pulls out her phone, amused.

_**Frisk at 2:15 PM: hey i'm latte, do you think he'll be mad at me?** _  
_**Frisk at 2:15 PM: maybe i was procaffeinating too much.** _

_**vertebae at 2:15 PM: Stop it and go talk to him.** _

_**Frisk at 2:15 PM: no need to be so bitter, sweetheart.** _

She puts her phone away and raises her head, her amused expression breaks down when she sees him. She sighs and sits down.

"Hey!"  
"sorry, i'm late."  
"Nah, it's okay. I didn't get here early either."

Frisk stares at him coldly.

"right."  
"Uhh... So... you're into the paranormal, right?"

_did she say that...?_  
_frisk..._

"i guess you could say that. let's just say it means a lot to me personally."  
"Really?" What interests you? Theories? Or..."  
"time travel. sort of."

Frisk opens the menu.

"Ah... It's a vast subject."  
"yeah."  
"What do you know about it?"

_i know i'm a victim of it._

"a few things. not much yet, i'm looking into it."

Luka nods.

"Most of what I usually see are comparisons with famous people and pictures from the past, a lot of theories revolve around that they went back in time. But often these theories are quickly debunked because the real person in the picture is quickly found."  
"hm. yeah."  
"But what do you know right now?"  
"...aren't you supposed to be the one to tell me more?"  
"...Yeah... I just wanted to know... what you know. Maybe you know things that I don't know, we can get our knowledge together and maybe study together again or..."  
"nah."  
"Oh... Okay."

Frisk sighs. She senses the tension between them and knows it's because of her behavior.

"I'm... focusing more on deja vu feelings."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, deja vu feelings are just feelings of memories."  
"no."  
"What do you mean, "no"?"

Frisk closes her eyes.

"a feeling of deja vu is a conflict between the part storing the memory and the part making the decision. when you confront an individual with several sensations that are all connected by a common factor, but that common factor isn't shown or said and you ask if you've seen it, a feeling of deja vu is generated."  
"You... know a lot about this."  
"i've studied it."  
"But then why..."  
"...imagine that in one day, you don't just have a feeling of deja vu, but a lot of deja vu at many different times."

Frisk reopens her eyes but doesn't look at him.

"...that you feel like these are memories, but you're also certain that these events never happened."  
"..."  
"...what if these feelings are just memories from another time, an alternative where these events did happen..."  
"...it's an interesting theory... interesting... i've never seen it, though..."  
"It's from a friend. I was just... interested in the theory."  
"I can understand it's intriguing."  
"You wouldn't know more than that, then."  
"...No, I'm sorry."

Frisk sighs and gets up.

"Wait, you're not going to go now, are you?"  
"what are you talking about? you don't know anything about what i'm looking for, so..."  
"But there's more to the paranormal than that!  
"Only this subject interests me, sorry.  
"...Did you come just to find out more about what you're looking for?  
"..."

_i hope that what i'm going to say won't conflict with what she said._

"i wanted information, you told me you had it. you don't, i have no reason to stay."  
"You don't even want to spend some time together? We can talk about something else, I know that..."

He sighs and looks at Frisk.

"Frisk?"  
"...hey, uh... luka. i'll be honest with you. you're a nice guy. but... uh... i'm not interested."  
"...I... see."  
"sorry. but... i..."

**_You're so weird, taking a date when you're already dating someone else..._ **

"i'm already dating someone. and i only came here as a friend."

**_It's just a friendly meeting._ **

"I... didn't know."

**_"Is he your boyfriend?"_ **

"...Yeah."

Frisk sighs and starts walking away.

"s... sorry."  
"No, it's okay, I mean... it makes sense."  
"..."

Frisk leaves the coffee shop.  
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.  
She walks slowly towards the building where she's staying and climbs the stairs before entering.

"You didn't take long."  
"yeah."  
"How'd it go?"  
"i... rejected luka."  
"Oh. Okay."

Frisk puts down her jacket and heads to her room.

"I'm gonna get some rest."  
"Are you sure you're okay?"  
"...yeah."

She comes in and closes the door.  
She's completely red.

"...no."  
"i can't... this can't be happening."

She immediately goes to a mirror and stares at herself.  
"...i'm in her body, damn it, it's... i can't..."

She closes her eyes.

"this is not the time for this..."  
"it's not... i shouldn't..."

She looks at herself again and notices her blushed face.  
"i'm a monster, damn it. i can't... i don't even live on the surface! and she's human, she'll die before me, she..."  
She can't look at herself, can't stand the look on her face, the blush that her reflection gives her.

"...frisk..."

She sighs and drops down on the bed.  
She looks at the cloudless sky.

"...i'll never meet her. i'm in a reset cycle, regularly killed by a monster, how can i find the time to..."

She closes her eyes.

"...fall in love."

*Are you sure about that, Papyrus? I mean, I can handle it, you just have to tell me where to go. You hate Hotland after all.

Sans is on Papyrus' shoulders as he takes a brisk walk to hotland.   
They're nearing the end of Waterfall. It said WELCOME on the billboard.

"NO, SANS! LAST TIME YOU DIDN'T GO! SO, YES, YOU'VE GOTTEN BETTER, BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS TIMES WHEN YOU'RE... DIFFERENT FROM USUALLY AND EVEN IF THESE CHANGES SEEM BETTER FOR YOU, I PREFER TO CHECK THAT EVERYTHING IS FINE"!  
*...Uhhh... Ok.  
"DON'T TAKE A CONSCIOUS TONE AT ME! I'M JUST WORRIED ABOUT YOU! SOME DAYS YOU'RE PRODUCTIVE OR YOU TAKE YOUR WORK, YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SERIOUSLY AND THEN YOU STOP TAKING THOSE "SHORTCUTS" AND THEN THE OTHER DAYS YOU BECOME LAZY AGAIN, YOU SAY TOO MANY PUNS AND YOU... HIDING THINGS FROM ME."  
*...Papyrus...  
"YOU KNOW I LIKE IT BETTER WHEN YOU'RE LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW! YOU SEEM SO MUCH MORE OPEN! AND HAPPY! AND... YOU TREAT ME LESS LIKE A CHILD!"

Sans closes his eye sockets.

_Sans..._

*Sorry, Paps.  
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, BROTHER! I KNOW YOU'RE NOT DOING THIS TO HURT ME! YOU ONLY WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR ME, AFTER ALL!"

LAB

Sans hesitates when he sees the word.

"WE ARE HERE! ALPHYS IS GOING TO GIVE YOU A LOT OF TESTS AND WE'RE OFF AGAIN!"

Sans sees on Papyrus drops dripping from the top of his skull. He knows that skeletons can't feel the temperature.

_...Monsters and their biological reactions are fascinating._

Papyrus puts down Sans then knocks on the door.

"I-I'm coming!"

The door opens.  
A scaly monster opens the door.  
Alphys, the royal scientist.

_Should I have told Sans I was going to see the royal scientist?_

She greets Papyrus and then freezes when she sees Sans.

"...Hey... Sans."

Sans is confused about her reaction.

*Hey... Alphys?  
"...Why are you here, P-Papyrus?  
"WELL, MY BROTHER'S BEEN HAVING SOME PROBLEMS LATELY, AND SINCE YOU'RE THE ROYAL SCIENTIST AND UNDYNE SAYS YOU KNOW EVERYTHING AND YOU'RE AWESOME, I FIGURED YOU COULD TAKE CARE OF MY BROTHER!"  
*That wasn't necessary, Papyrus, you know that.  
"OF COURSE I DID!"

Sans notice that Alphys has turned all red.  
He hears her mumble a few words... Undyne, great... Doki-Doki?

Am I dealing with Nerd 2.0?

Sans smiles for himself at the thought.

I wonder if Sans knowing her, two nerds must get along, right?

Alphys shakes her head, she looks at Sans nervous and then waves them in.

"Uhh... W-Well...! E-Enter!"

Sans and Papyrus go into the lab.  
Sans makes a face when he sees a packet of empty bowls of instant noodles on the side of a desk.

"S-Sorry... for the... mess..."

Sans looks at her.

*No, it's okay. Don't worry.

Alphys stares at him for a long time, frowns, but finally turns her back and starts walking upstairs.

"Uh... If... y-you'd like to come with me..."

Sans looks around.  
The place goes a bit all over the place, he sees posters, a stack of DVDs?  
He walks up and grabs one.

_Is that anime...?_

He looks at the cover and turns blue when he notices it.

"D-Don't!!!!"

Hentai...

He puts the jacket back down in a hurry.

*S-Sorry! I didn't want to... huh...look.

Alphys who was freaking out stops, stares at him, worried.

*Uhhh...?  
"...That's... okay."  
*...Cool.  
"WHAT IS IT?"  
*Nothing!!

Sans gets between the anime pile and his brother.

"DON'T HIDE IT, BROTHER!"  
*That's not cool at all! You shouldn't...  
"I WANT TO SEE IT! I WILL EVALUATE MYSELF IF IT'S COOL OR NOT!"  
*Wait!

Sans quickly takes the DVD underneath the Hentai.  
He shows it and sincerely hopes it's not the same.

"MEW MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE?"

Sans turning the cover over, he sighs, reassured.

*Yeah.  
"WELL. IT'S TOO MUCH... KISSY AND CUTIE FOR ME. BUT I KNOW ALPHYS AND UNDYNE LIKE IT!"

Sans looks at Alphys.

*Really?

Alphys who's been watching them all along blushes and doesn't look at them.  
"Yeah! It's really cute, but it's not for everyone..."  
*Well. I know one person that likes it too, she tells that old anime is the best or something like that...

Sans shakes his head.

*But, that's not why we're here.

Alphys watches Sans. She finds him suspicious.

"...Sans..."  
*...Yeah?

Alphys looks at him seriously and then sighs, she turns to Papyrus.

"...P-Papyrus, can I... see him, alone?"  
"OF COURSE! TELL ME WHEN IT'S OVER!!!"

He comes down and walks out of the lab.  
Alphys takes a deep breath.  
She looks at Sans.

"...Who... are you."

*Me?

Alphys step back.

"You're not Sans. Sans would never be like that. Even though I haven't seen him for a long time, I know Sans isn't like that."  
*But...  
"Sans never smiles like this. Like YOU do. So... honest, without hiding anything. It's not Sans. You haven't uttered any puns or jokes since you walked in here. You're too open, too emotional, all your reactions are visible. Sans is someone discreet, secretive, who hides his game too well behind his smile."

She's ready to take him in a confrontation.

"Who... Are you."  
*Whoa, whoa! Can...can you calm down a bit? I can explain!

Alphys is shaking.

*I'm not going to hurt you or anything! That's not my intention at all.  
"I asked you... W-who are you, not what you want."

Sans sighs.

*...I'm going to have to transcend one of our rules...  
"what?"  
* Well uh... can you don't put me in a confrontation? I know I've only got one HP, and it can be lethal, so...

Alphys takes a breath and tries to calm herself, but she's still tensed.

*So... uh... I'm, uh... Frisk. I'm a person who lives up there, on the surface."

Alphys' suspicion is replaced by surprise and then admiration.

"A... A... A human?!"  
*...Yeah.  
"Really?! Wow! That's awesome! A human! Here! Right here! How... how... How did you... Sans..."  
*Well... One day, a star appeared in the sky, it fell and since then, Sans and I have been randomly swapping bodies. We don't know what's going on, but we've gotten used to it.

Alphys remains stunned by her words.

*I am a human being who studied law and took a lot of options. So I have a lot of jobs. It wasn't exactly welcome, but now I'd say I've learned to appreciate them. It gives me a break from a day where I'm discovering a new culture, new people, a new place...

He closes his eye sockets.

*It's all so fascinating here.  
"...Is that why Papyrus wanted me to... examine you?"  
*Well, I don't share Sans's memories, I didn't know anything about it the first time I came here, so I'm sorry I scared you. But I'm not a danger!  
"...Oh. My. God!

Alphys is turning red.

*Uhh...  
"Oh my God it's like this anime where two humans swap bodies and they live in two different places and she hates where she lives and wants to live where he lives and at first they don't like each other but as they get along they start to like each other and at first he had a crush on her senpai and then one day, she goes to see him but he doesn't recognize her and she gives him her bracelet and we discover at the end that he had this bracelet from the beginning and after the fall of the comet he goes to look for where she lives and he ends up discovering that the village where she lived was destroyed by the comet and he starts to forget her name but oh no I spoil you but this anime you have to see it it's great and. .."  
*Wait, wait...!  
"Are you in love with Sans?! Because if not it's like in this anime and..."

Sans is all blue and looks away.

*No! I'm not...!  
"OMG! You act like the girl in the film, but she finally understands that she loves him and..."  
*No! Sans and I are not like that at all!  
"Have you thought about it? Have you tried it? I'm sure you must be so cute !"

Sans covers her face with her hands, embarrassed.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH."  
*Stop it! Just... Just stop.

Alphys catches her breath, Sans is trying to calm down.

*...Sans and me. It's not like that at all. We... are... friends.  
"You hesitated!"  
*No!  
"Yessss!!!!!!"  
*Alphys! Stop it!  
"You are my OTP!!!"  
*No!  
"That would be so great! A human-monster couple! It would be so beautiful and it would make it so much easier for monsters to be accepted in human society and even scientifically it would be..."  
*I'm not an experiment!  
"Of course not, but even so, you don't even find him a little attractive ?"  
*It's a skeleton!  
"And then ?"  
*...It's... uh... I don't know. I mean, what's the point of even thinking about it?! Even if I wanted to, I couldn't even kiss him! And then you live in the Underground and I live on the surface!"  
"A long-distance relationship."  
*Stop throwing counter-arguments at me all the time.

Her phone's ringing.

_**Frisk is calling...** _

"AAAAAHHHHH!"  
*Stop!

He's picking up.

*...Uh... S-Sans?

He wants to hit himself when he hears his voice shaking.

"frisk? are you okay?"  
*Yeah! I'm... alright! Never better! Ahaha.  
"...right."  
"AAAHHHH! He cares about you, you're soul mates, you're..."  
*Shut up!  
"who are you with?"  
*Uh... Alphys, the royal scientist. Papyrus brought me here and she discovered our secret and since then...  
"...alphys?"  
*Yeah.  
"...okay."  
*Really? Is that okay?  
"yeah. alphys can... hide things."

Alphys stops when she hears those words. She looks away.

"she won't divulge our problem if that's what you're afraid of, frisk."  
*No! That's not it! It's just that... 

Sans sighs.

*It doesn't matter. Why did you call me?  
"nothing. i just wanted to hear your voice."

Sans blushes at her words.  
Alphys looks away, embarrassed.

"and i'm bored. and you happen to be a good distraction..."  
*Excuse me?!

Frisk laughs on the other side of the phone.

"This is exactly what I wanted to talk about. Your reactions are really lov..."

She stops and then hangs up.

*...Sans?  
"He hung up."  
*...Weird.  
"Are you worried? You should call him to..."  
*No! I'm not going to call him! Anyway, Sans and I can't do that. I don't have time for a relationship!  
"We always have time for love."  
* It's not my case ! I'm a very busy person and Sans is already a distraction.  
"Might as well make him THE distraction."  
*N-No!  
"You can love him! There's nothing wrong with that! Sans is a very relaxed person, he won't get you in trouble, don't worry!"  
"ALPHYS? SANS? ARE YOU THERE?"  
"P-Papyrus!"

She rushes to the door.

"I-I'm sorry, I forgot you were waiting..."  
"No, don't worry! It's all right. Is my brother okay though?"

Sans joins them walking slowly.

"He... He's all right, he's just in love."  
*Alphys!!!!!"  
"I KNEW IT!"  
"Ah! Even Papyrus sees it!"  
*I'm not in love with anyone, and I'm not interested in anyone!  
"YOU'RE ALWAYS ON YOUR PHONE WHEREAS BEFORE YOU CONSTANTLY FORGOT IT AT HOME!"  
* It's not...  
"I ONCE SAW YOU GOING THROUGH MY DATING BOOK !"  
* I didn't know that was this!  
"DON'T HIDE YOUR FEELINGS! BE HONEST WITH THE PERSON YOUR SOUL HAS CHOSEN!"  
*I don't have any feelings to hide since there's nothing to...  
"DON'T WORRY! IF YOU'RE HONEST, THAT PERSON WILL ACCEPT YOUR FEELINGS!"  
*Don't... NO... That's not... That's not...  
"He's... He's right, you know."  
*I... don't... I don't know how I feel, I... I mean... No! I don't want to... I don't... I just, uh...

Sans sighs.

*I don't know! It's just... such a perturbing and confusing feeling! Besides, it's all right when we're friends, so... it's not necessarily worth it!"  
"IMAGINE THE SHOWER OF KISSES AND HUGS YOU'D GIVE AND RECEIVE! IT WOULD BE MAGICAL AND FANTASTIC!"  
*I... I... he... No, I'm a skeleton, Papyrus! This is not... That's not...  
"WHATEVER YOU ARE! A MONSTER! A SKELETON! A LAZY BONE! LOVE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE DETAILS!"  
* No! Me and... No, it would be, it's...

And then he disappears.

"SANS? DID YOU USE ONE OF YOUR SHORTCUTS AGAIN?"

Alphys freezes.

"...SANS?"  
"...That's bad."  
"WHY?"  
"...Because he's not in control of his magic... and it's going to end very badly if he can't control himself!"

Frisk feels like she's floating in the void.

_It's so cold... so dark..._  
_Where is she?_  
_She was in Sans' body and..._

☟︎◆︎❍︎♋︎■︎📬︎

_And what was that? Someone's talking, right?_  
_She doesn't understand._  
_What's going on?_

*frisk!

⍓︎□︎◆︎ ⬧︎♒︎□︎◆︎●︎♎︎■︎🕯︎⧫︎ ♌︎♏︎ ♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎📪︎ ♒︎◆︎❍︎♋︎■︎📬︎

_Sans?_

*don't.

●︎♓︎❖︎♏︎📬︎

*don't come...

♐︎□︎❒︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎📬︎

_It's Sans, right?_

*get out of here!!!!

♐︎□︎❒︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ⬧︎□︎■︎📬︎

She sees a light, she reaches out her hand.  
And she falls into the snow.

"frisk?! frisk!"

She opens her eyes.  
She's in Sans' body.

"frisk! answer me!"

* Sans?

"oh god."

He hears her sigh, reassured.

"what the hell were you doing, frisk?! don't use my magic! you don't know, you can't..."  
*How... do you... know...  
"the pictures you were in were starting to change to make you disappear."  
*...how...  
"you went to the void, frisk. a place where your existence is erased if you stay there. everything that belonged to you began to disappear and your body... anyway, the point is that i knew and you must never do that again, is that clear?!"  
*...Were you worried?

_What was she talking about earlier?_  
_Feelings?_  
_Love?_  
_Sans?_

"...yes. i was worried."  
*...I'm...sorry.  
"you didn't want it."  
*But...  
"frisk. you just have to not do it again. but it's okay. you're still here. i'm still here. we're here, together."

Sans blushes at her words.

*Uhh... yeah.  
"frisk?"  
*I'm okay.  
"...really?"  
*Yeah!

But his voice croaked, again.

"...frisk."  
*It's nothing! Just uh... Alphys has... put some stupid ideas into my head and Papyrus encouraged the idea and...  
"what do you mean?"  
*...Uhh... It's embarrassing. I don't think..."  
"frisk."

Sans takes a deep breath.

*...Sans, uhh... well... would you... be attracted by the idea... of.... an... relationship? With a human. With me? Oh god, did I say that? Ignore it! I didn't! I didn't... ask... I'm not... It's not like I thought about having a relationship with you, aha! That would be a completely stupid idea! I mean, we're separated by a magical barrier, it's a crazy and impossible idea and anyway, I don't have feelings for you so it's not a problem! I don't need to know what you think about humans or me in particular or...  
"frisk."  
*...Yeah?  
"...not... now."  
*...Yeah. Of course. It's... obvious. I mean, a monster and a human, ah. What a weird...  
"no. that's not... what i meant."  
*...Sans?"  
"i... ugh... just... now's not the time to think about that, frisk. for you or me. no matter how we feel, we have issues to work out and then... if one day i'm on the surface, if one day we meet, i... we... could try. To see if that works or... something."

Sans smiles.  
But then...

*...  
"Frisk? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up, it's not at all in..."  
**"Smiley. Trashbag."**  
"...frisk?"  
"So, we've got a human pen pal...?"  
"..."  
"How funny... I didn't expect this from you, Smiley Trashbag."  
"...who... the hell... are you.  
"Me? I'm Flowey! Flowey, the flower. Don't worry... I'm not going to kill her... yet."

Flowey watches Sans who's watching, terrified.

"...flowey, you said?"  
"yup. that's me. I wanted to thank you for this new toy you brought me, the response... is satisfactory."  
"...d o n t ."  
"You think you have a choice? This is fun..."  
*...  
"Love makes you even more stupid! Do you think you can protect her? Do you think you can save anyone? You can't even save your brother."  
*...  
"...Whatever. For now, you and her will continue to amuse me with your ridiculous feelings and reactions. But... what if we just... make it all... go back to zero?"

**RESET**


	4. Unified Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So just a little more, maybe just a little more…  
> Just a little longer now…  
> Just a little more, maybe just a little more…  
> Can we stay like this, here together…?

Sans opens his eyes. He immediately turns to his phone. Thursday. Again.  
He presses Frisk's number, worried. He can't help but remember those words.

_"Me? I'm Flowey! Flowey, the flower. Don't worry... I'm not going to kill her...yet."_

How long does he have until Flowey finally plays with Frisk's life as he plays with theirs? He's scared. For her, for him.  
The stars were wrong to tie him to her, she'll only end up in trouble. How many people has he loved and made suffer?

_**vertebae is calling...** _

She doesn't look at her phone as she squeezes herself closer to her pillow. The tears refuse to flow, but she still feels tense, stuck. The monsters were just different beings, but so nice when you get used to them. She doesn't want to die. Not now. Not like this.

_**vertebae is calling...** _

Is this what Sans experiences every time? Dying in different ways... for the sick pleasure of a ruthless monster? How does such a character possess such a powerful power to go back in time and change whatever he likes, without any consequences?  
Frisk is terrified of dying, but she feels disgusted when she thinks that this is what Sans lives. Constantly. Living in the idea that today's death is waiting for him at the door if this person wants it, seeing all his hard-won efforts erased just for someone's selfish desire.  
She looks at her phone. He calls her. Of course, he is. She takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. She grabs her phone and picks it up.  
Neither of them dares say a word. Frisk is shaking, but she tries to calm down, to stop her body from reacting like that, because she's still alive, right? She should be relieved, she...  
How do the heroes in the stories get over it? See death right... in front of you and... stand up again?  
She's not like that, she can't...

*frisk.

She gasps, rushes out of her thoughts.

*...are you ok?  
"I'm fine..."

That's an understatement. She's not fine. Just swapping bodies was nothing. What if she's swapping bodies, and he's dead, what happens then? Who will be dead then? Who's...

*...i didn't expect... this.  
"...Me neither."  
*heh.

Sans closes his eyes.  
He looks at the blank pages of his diary that should be filled in.

**I'm Frisk.**

These are the last words written.

*you're not dead. not...  
 _yet._

He refuses to say the last word. He doesn't want to accept this possibility. He doesn't want...  
 _see her as a pawn in the vast underground chessboard._

"...But I will be, someday, on a timeline, right? They'll kill me. In your body. Who will die? You will? Me? Who will be impacted? Why are they doing this? Who's...  
*i don't know.  
"...What will happen... Sans?"  
*...i'd like to know.

They remain silent.  
He's slowly rewriting everything he remembers from his notes on the old timeline.

"...What are we going to do?"

He blinks when he hears 'we', a possibility of help, of someone else.  
...He shouldn't bring her into his problems. She would have been safe if she had never met him.  
She shouldn't...  
He sighs and slowly touches his bracelet on his wrist. He stares at it.

*...i'm gonna try to get more information about flowey. about determination. you, you just have to avoid any trouble. that's all.  
"...I can't..."  
*no. you have finals at the end of the semester. this problem...i'll fix it as soon as possible so you're the least impacted.  
"I'm already impacted, Sans! This... flower... Flowey's threatened my life, they're threatened your life, they're killing..."  
*i'm aware of that, frisk. and that's why...  
"So stop acting like you're the only one concerned."

Sans smiles.

*...you can't do anything, frisk.

He closes his eyes.

*...you can't defend yourself against a monster who wields magic and distorts time and space with their determination. you can't do anything.

"...Determination?"  
Sans sighs.

_"L-Look! D-Determination is a f-formidable source of energy. What if we used it on monsters? What if it could destroy the barrier?"_   
_*i don't think that's a good idea. what if determination ends up being bad for monsters, alphys?_   
_alphys._

*determination is a special kind of energy. it's not magic, and it's more than will, although it plays a lot on the idea of will. determination is the energy that allows you to overcome your limits, to defy the impossible, to survive. you humans possess it without really realizing it, but we know that all human souls possess determination. depending on how much you have, you determine a soul trait that defines your personality.  
"...Our personality..."  
*that determination, it's an essential point for... mastering RESETS, since RESET is the will to survive, to start over, to find the best way, the best choice. supposedly.   
"..."  
*determination is toxic to monsters, it makes us immortal and more instinctive, we lose all intelligence. it's irreversible. these are just the symptoms we've been able to identify but there are surely many more.  
"...How could Flowey..."  
*i don't know. and that's what i'm going to try to find out.  
 _alphys._

Determination, innate human energy, the key to controlling the RESETS.  
The RESETS, the main cause of Sans' ills, the dangerous power of their enemy, the anomaly. Flowey.  
Frisk takes a deep breath. She closes her eyes, still confused by what she has just heard. Determination...  
Energy she possesses.

"And what trait do I have?"  
*...determination.

She giggles.

"Determination of Determination?"  
*heh... yup.  
 _Well..._  
"And how do you remove that Determination? How do we stop these Flowey RESETS?  
*...you'd have to extract it. or...you'd need someone more determined than flowey.  
"...Oh."

Frisk sighs.

"Frisk! Are you still in there?"  
*...you should go.  
"Yeah. I should."

But she doesn't end the call. She stares at the phone hesitantly.

"Hey. Sans."  
*...hm?  
"...Don't die. Okay?"

Sans sighs when he hears her words.

*i can't promise that, frisky.

He hangs up.

_but i will try._

He puts his phone down and looks at his journal for several long minutes, hesitating whether to move or not.

_flowey._   
_determination..._   
_alphys._

He sighs and finally stands up.

*well. it's time for a reunion... huh.

He takes one of his shortcuts.  
He looks wistfully at the LAB sign still hanging high above the door.

_*did you see?_   
_✋︎■︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎♏︎⬧︎⧫︎♓︎■︎♑︎📬︎📬︎📬︎ 🕈︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ♎︎♓︎♎︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ♍︎❒︎♏︎♋︎⧫︎♏︎📪︎ ⬧︎♋︎■︎⬧︎✍︎_   
_*it's nothing, just a model. but, i just thought if we used the void, we could get past the barrier? bring everyone to the surface?_

_The Void..._   
_The RESET._

Sans closes his eye sockets.

_deep down, i'm just suffering the consequences of my own experience..._   
_right?_

_*dad! no! stop... don't..._   
_✋︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ 🙰◆︎⬧︎⧫︎ ♋︎ ⧫︎♏︎⬧︎⧫︎📬︎ ✋︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ♋︎●︎❒︎♓︎♑︎♒︎⧫︎📬︎_   
_"S-Sans is right. The Void can wipe out existence itself! W-what if something goes wrong?"_   
_✋︎ ⧫︎❒︎◆︎⬧︎⧫︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ⬧︎□︎■︎📬︎_

Sans sighs.

_*dad!_   
_"S-Sans... Wait, no... You can't..."_   
_*i'm not leaving him there! i still remember him, i'm not going to..._   
_"I've already lost one friend, I-I don't want to lose another!"_   
_*it will be fine._   
_"Sans!"_

He stops at the door but doesn't knock right away, lost in thought.

_*i can't... dad... no... i don't want to forget you..._   
_*lemme just rewind everything... i don't want to lose him._   
**_RESET_ **

_...this phenomenon... i created it. frisk shouldn't suffer the consequences with me. i'm just... trying to make amends._

*welp. here we go.

He takes his hand out of his pocket and knocks.

"I-I'm coming!"  
 _still nervous as hell._  
*knock knock.

He hears her breath suddenly cut off. She probably figured out who's standing behind the door.

"...Who... Who's there?"  
*scale.  
"...scale who?"  
*sorry to **scale** you, buddy. can ya lemme in?  
"hey..."

She opens the door.

"S-Sans."  
*...heya.

They keep quiet in front of the door.  
She never dares cross his gaze.

*i have a few questions for you, buddy. mind to...  
"Oh. Sorry."

She shifts and lets him in. The door closes behind him. He's looking at the usual lab junk.  
In the distance, he sees an empty office.  
His old office.  
He sighs and looks at her.

*it won't be long.  
"...I... I see."  
*...have you continued to perform your determination experiments?

Alphys trembles when she hears him say those words. Sans glances at the back door to the True Lab. The secret lab, where all the experiments are performed.

*...is that your little secret?  
"...Sans, why... why did you come?"  
*well... i just want some answers to a few questions. nothing too bad.  
"You were against these experiments, w-why do you want to know more? A-And I haven't seen you in years, y-you can't just..."  
*i can. i do.

Alphys take a step back. She turns her head and looks at the wall.

"...Why? You already know everything..."  
*...i have a problem with a particular flower and i want to know if you're responsible for its existence or not.  
"... A flower?"

Alphys looks up, surprise. She didn't expect him to come for this.  
Sans is still looking at her from afar, patient, his smile plastered on his skull. His smile still hides his intentions.  
...Why does she have the impression that she saw him a short time ago freely expressing his feelings and emotions?

"...I... I did. E-Experiences, I mean."  
*...on monsters? a flower monster?  
"...N-No? There is no flower monster... I-I don't think... I-I just did it on a flower in Asgore garden and it's gone."  
*...gone.  
"Yeah... After that... y-you know the rest."  
*...a flower... becomes...  
"Why did you want to know? It was just a little experiment, that's not even... the worst."  
*...i'm not in a position to judge you on failed experiments.  
"...Haha... Yeah..."

Sans slowly walks back to his old office.  
He opens a drawer.  
Empty.

*...you've created a monster.  
"W-what?"  
*that flower has run away and given itself a name and is causing me and me a lot of trouble. me and...

_frisk. but she doesn't remember._

*a friend.  
"...A monster... A flower monster... How..."  
*a monster without a soul, without emotions. who survives by determination. they call themself Flowey.  
"...How... How... Did they..."  
*i don't know. but so far, no one's come to you for your experiments, hm?  
"...You."  
*i already knew that before that.  
"...I'm...sorry."  
*don't be. you didn't do anything wrong.  
"...But..."  
*if anyone should be apologizing here, it's me. i'm the one who's messing with what i've... caused.  
"..."

He closes the drawer. He giggles softly and closes his eyes.

*it seems that becoming a scientist also means bearing the burden of remorse for creating horrors.

He reopens his eyes.

*i should never have gone down the same path as my father.  
"...y-your father?"

Alphys looks at him, confused.  
He blinks and forgets. Just like before. Just like after. Like he always does.

*what?  
"You were talking about ... uh..."  
*...heh. welp. i'm leaving then.  
"Uhh..."  
*i got what i wanted.

He's teleporting out the front door.

"Uhh... See... ya?"  
*it was a nice reunion, royal scientist.

He opens the door and exits.  
Alphys watches him leave, weighed down with remorse.  
The door closes.  
Vines immediately surround Sans.  
He rolls his eyes, and lets it happen, having already prepared for such an eventuality.

"Smiley Trashbag."  
 ***h e y.**  
"Stop poking around in my stuff, you useless pawn. Stay in your place."

Sans laughs.

*ah. as if. sorry. but i don't play by the rules.  
"...Then forget."

_maybe, another time._   
_not... today._

a vine wraps itself around his soul and breezes it.  
he dies. again.

_**LOAD** _

She looks at her phone with fear.  
What if Sans was gonna die today? What if she's going to die again? What can she do to prevent that...?  
He can't live like this all the time, she has to do something, something she can do.

_you'd need someone more determined than flowey._

...  
Someone more determined.

_"Determination of Determination?"_

A crazy idea comes to her mind. An idea that Sans would never approve of, but an idea that sounds good to her.  
If she has the determination of Determination, she must be... more determined than that monster, right? If she's more determined, flowey won't control the RESETS anymore. If she's more determined, flowey won't be able to play with time the way they want to.  
But in order to do that, she has to go where those events are happening.

_they decided to lock us under a mountain, mount Ebbot..._

Mount Ebbot.  
That's what he said, isn't it? That's where the monsters are locked up. That's where he's locked up. That's where she has to go...  
She automatically goes to her computer and searches for the location of the mountain. She enlarges and then grinds when she sees the distance between where she is and where the mountain is.  
It would take her days or even weeks of preparation, she has to save up to afford such a trip and if she manages it she would have enough at the end of the month but...  
Exams.  
...can she give up her plans? Her dreams?  
For a monster? That she seems to love?

_A monster who dies over and over again. I can't accept a genocide I'm aware of and turn a blind eye to just my own plans._

Personal projects that cost money.  
She sighs, hesitant.

_Should I wait until the exams are over before I leave?_

She closes her eyes.

_The decision to leave then or not isn't for now. I have to prepare first... and hide all the preparation. Sans must never find out what I'm doing._

She's looking at the map on her computer. Her decision is made, and she won't back down.

_I'm going even if he wants it... or not._

Flora looks oddly at Frisk, who's restless on the couch.  
It's late, she should be in bed, only the kitchen light is still on, giving a little light to the young woman on the couch.

"Frisk? What are you doing?"

She turns her head and smiles nervously when she sees Flora approaching.

"Oh. Nothing, I just can't sleep, that's all, so I've been surfing the Internet and I came across some pictures..."

Flora leans over and looks at what Frisk is holding in her hands.

"I'm trying to make handmade bracelets. It's kind of complicated, but it keeps my mind busy, so..."  
"You should get some sleep."  
"I can't sleep."

Frisk looks again at the unfinished bracelet in her hands.

"...But you can go back to bed, you know. I'll try to not make any noise."  
"...You don't even like props, why are you making one?"  
"It's not for me."

Frisk goes back to what she was doing.

"Who's it for?"  
"...A... Someone."  
"Your boyfriend?"  
"...Sort of."

Frisk sighs when she unties the knot she just tied. She tries again, slower and more carefully.

"He always wears one on his wrist so I thought I'd make him one. I tried to do the same by just adding this extra brooch to hang."  
"Where did you get it?"  
"In my drawers, a forgotten ornament I ripped out of my drawers."  
"...Do you care?"  
"The ornament? No, otherwise I wouldn't have done this."  
"I'm talking about this guy."

Frisk stops.

"Yes. Very much. He's special and he's got a lot on his mind these days. So I thought I'd... give him this gift. Even though he probably won't get it for quite some time."  
"...I see..."

Flora sighs and turns around and heads back to her room.

"Still go to sleep when you're done."

Sans opens his eyes, he feels exhausted and only wants to close them again to gain a few hours of sleep.  
Then he notices that it's not in his body.

_don't tell me she's been up all night practically for studying..._

But he doesn't notice a notebook or a sheet of paper in front of him.  
Only a bracelet made of threads with a small decoration of a star hanging from it. It seems to be almost finished.

_what's this..._   
_is this what she's been doing instead of sleeping?_

He grunts, but it sounds more like a clears throat.  
He's untying his hands from the wires.

_why did she do that?_

"When I said you should sleep, I meant in your bed, silly."

He looks up and sees Flora looking at him disapprovingly.

"heh... sorry."  
"Tell that to your tired body, instead."

_i can't say i disagree._

"I hope your boyfriend at least appreciates it when he gets it. Honestly..."

She comes into the kitchen, with the lights still turned on.  
Sans blinks a few times.  
He looks down.

_...for me?_

He shook his head.

_since when did i agree to establish a romantic relationship with her? i'm not her boyfriend..._

He looks at the bracelet.

_it looks familiar._   
_where have i seen this pattern before..._

"Frisk! Stop dawdling!"

Sans gets up, ignoring the bracelet lying on the table.

_whatever._

  
Frisk is carefully counting every pack of cookies she bought.

"Is that enough...? I should take two bottles of water, and I don't want to spend too much, I also have to buy the train and bus ticket. Travel is not common, so I have to choose the right schedule."

She slips a bunch of little bottles of water in her bag.

"Should I pack for a trip to a cave? Maybe a GPS, or something to send out a cry for help, you never know, I might make a mistake and end up somewhere else..."  
"Frisk?"

She turns around.

"Oh. Hey, Luka."

She walks over to greet him as usual and then remembers that Sans rejected Luka a few days ago.  
She sighs and stays in her place.

"You... don't usually come here."  
"Yeah, it's further away, but there are more choices, here so... here I am."  
"Hm."

He glances at her bag.

"...Are you going somewhere?"  
"Um... No?"  
"Oh. Sorry, I just thought... with what you're buying, sunscreen and... oh, well, just ignore what I said. I'll see ya."  
"Hang on, hang on! Luka!"

He turns around.

"Uh... I'm sorry...I was so... rude with you last time."  
"No, that's okay. I don't think your boyfriend would've appreciated me trying anything, so... better... clear the situation, you know. Just give me time to... accept that."  
"...Yeah."

_I think Sans left out a few details when he told me that..._

"See ya."  
"Yeah... See ya'."

Sans sighs as he looks at the finished bracelet on Frisk's bedside table. He's lying on the bed, staring at it with suspicion.

"I've seen it somewhere before."

Sans looks at his wrists.

_don't i have one similar...!_

He looks at the bracelet more carefully. Realizing the similarity of the two objects.

_what does that mean...?_   
_on my body... i'm wearing something similar, absolutely similar, just missing the star here but there's this hole on my bracelet..._   
_what the hell is that..._   
_why would she do something for me that she couldn't give me?_   
_and how can i even have it if it's there in frisk's hand?_

"Hey Frisk!! What the fuck?!"

The door slams shut.

"heya?"  
"Did you think I wasn't gonna see you?! What's the extra charge? I hope there's enough for this month's rent, eh!"  
"extra?"  
"I've seen the bill, you idiot! You nearly bought twice as much as usual! And where did you even hide all those packets of biscuits cos I can't find them in the cupboard!"  
"...i..."  
"...Never mind. I'm watching you and you better pay the rent, that's what you're here for, roomie, don't you forget it!"

And she slams the door.

"...what..."

_why would she buy more? isn't she the one telling me i have to be careful shopping for the rent?_   
_what is she trying to do?_   
_what is she hiding?_

He gets out of bed and looks at the room with more attention.

_is she hiding something from me?_   
_why?_

He closes his eyes.

"it's none of my business. i mean, it's just a higher purchase and a bracelet that i'll never get, but it looks like i've got it anyway..."

He sighs, tired of all the possibilities going through his head.  
He sits in the chair at his desk.

"it's nothing suspicious."

He opens the computer.

"nothing to worry about. she's safe here anyway, at least she's safe from anything magical."

He opens the web browser and is about to type something.  
The old research comes up.

**Mt. Ebbot**

"oh shit."

He grunts and grabs his phone and calls Frisk.  
One time.  
Twice.  
Then he decides to text her.

**_Your human: frisk wth_ **   
**_Your human: you don't go to the underground, frisk._ **   
**_Your human: i don't know how long you've been planning this. but you're not going._ **   
**_Your human: don't ignore me._ **   
**_Your human: frisk._ **

  
Frisk can't move, she's terrified.  
She hears her phone ringing, but she's not picking it up.  
She sees this child who likes to come and tell her jokes.  
She sees this child screaming.  
She hears a laugh that seems to resonate.  
She sees him being ripped in half before he falls completely to dust.  
No sound comes out, her mind, her thoughts are empty.  
Only the cry of this child and the laughter of the monster that snatched her life.  
One tear falls, then another.  
Why?  
Why?!  
Nobody deserves that.  
No one deserves this.  
He's only a child!  
Just stop it.  
Make it stop.  
She sees a figure approaching... this evil creature.  
Papyrus.  
The two lights in both her eyes are getting smaller and smaller.

"YOU CAN BE GOOD! I KNOW YOU CAN!!"

She should flee, as Sans ordered her to do if a situation like this arises. She should flee, run as far away from this monster as possible.  
She promised.  
But she breaks her promise.

"Do you think so? My best friend?"

Their sadistic smile comes back.  
She gets up and comes out of hiding, but they don't notice her.

"Then come closer, lemme show you... how good I am..."

A bramble comes out of the snow, ready to pierce, Papyrus.  
But she gets in the way.  
A scream.  
And then finally, all she feels is **p̴̡͎̗͔̌ä̵̠͍͚̣͚́̅͝ĩ̸̥̪͉̖͒͌͠n̵̨͈͝.̵͇͙̋̏́**

He calls back.  
Once.  
Twice.

"frisk!"

He calls again, this time she picks up. He sighs, relieved.

"frisk! finally, you..."  
 **"howdy!!!"**

He freezes. He recognizes that sweet but dangerous voice. A voice he wishes he'd never heard again.

"Guess who died today?"

The call suddenly cuts off. He doesn't move. His thoughts become tangled and overlapping.

_...frisk._

He remains frozen in the chair for several minutes, all the possibilities of frisk's death come to him. Finally, he looks at the computer.

**Mt. Ebbot.**

_do you want to go?_

He immediately shuts down the computer and goes to take his jacket and walk to the exit.  
He sees the bracelet.  
He stops and takes it with him.

_then we go._


	5. It's nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *hey uh...  
> "...What's..."  
> *...your name?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics of Nandemonaiya English COVER by GoldenBoys
> 
> The last part of this story.

_"Mount Ebbot? It's a dangerous mountain, you know. Legend says that anyone who goes up there never comes back."_   
_"Do you want to go up there? It's straight ahead, young lady, but be careful, it's dangerous to go that way."_   
_"Mount Ebbot, you say? I can take you to the nearest bus stop, but why are you trying to go there? It's not a safe place, you know."_   
_"You're looking for someone, aren't you? Ah. It's not the first time this has happened, but you know, the person you're looking for is probably missing by now."_   
_"You shouldn't go out there. It's full of beasts and the rescuers can't get to you, you know."_

But Sans ignored the remarks, comments, warnings of the locals because Frisk is waiting for him, Frisk is in danger and he can't leave her there.  
She ended up in this situation because of him, he can't just ignore that she's probably dead, down there in the Underground, in his body.  
He's standing in front of the dangerous mountain where there's a whole population desperate for daylight. He hides his eyes from the sun's rays but observes the cloudless blue sky above his head. A sky he may never see again after this.  
He sighs and lowers his head and begins to climb. He has hardly brought anything with him, maybe it's a mistake and he'll regret it afterward, but for now, he's thankful he doesn't have any extra weight with him. That would have been an extra superficial burden that he doesn't need.

-

_**The sad song of the wind that fills the space between you and I** _

_**Where did it find the sorrow that it’s held for all this time?** _

_**Looking up at the sky, it’s hard to focus through the tears** _

_**But when I wipe them away, I find, the world becomes so clear** _

-

He looks at his phone.  
No RESET so far, the messages he shared with her are still there.

_frisk..._

He's panting, out of breath from the sudden exertion.

_why did you want to go there?_   
_what were you planning?_

He leans against a tree, regaining his strength and sees a cave not far away.  
He takes a look at the distance he's already covered.  
He grumbles but forces himself to move forward, trying to reach that cave. The summit is not far away and is getting closer with every step he takes. Every step that brings him closer to the Underground, that brings him closer to the barrier, that brings him closer to Frisk, to his brother.  
To Flowey.

He sees roots on the ground, most of which seem to be heading towards the cave. He goes in and sees a huge chasm.  
Is this... the entrance to the Underground?  
He stares into the chasm, he can't even see the bottom.  
Scary.  
He sees that many roots seem to be heading towards the chasm. He takes a step back. He looks at the walls of the cave and sees words on a wall.

_i'm leaving. don't follow me._   
_i shouldn't exist._   
_dying is the best option._   
_i'm disturbing they said. i'm ugly they said. they should have abandoned me they said._   
_I'm completely capable of jumping in! I'm not a wuss!_   
_i'm safe here. here there's no one to hurt me._

He frowns.  
Suicides.  
Are these the people who fell into the Underground?  
Is this really the entrance he's looking for?  
He doesn't feel the magic, he doesn't feel the barrier, but right now he's human, he can't feel that it's frustrating.  
And even if it's really the entrance, who's to say he'll survive it?  
He's looking at the abyss.  
And what if he dies in the fall? Frisk would die forever, no RESET.  
He's taking another step back.  
He can't take that risk, he has to keep going up. He takes a step back and turns around, his foot is stuck in a root. He loses his balance and falls.  
Into the abyss.  
It is dark.  
...  
So dark. . .  
...  
Like in the Void . . .  
...  
Is he going to die here?  
Will Frisk's body stand the fall?  
...  
It's so dark.  
So dark...  
He hears static. A voice from afar.  
A voice... familiar...?  
Where has he heard it before?  
It's someone important, very important, someone in his family, someone he'd like to see again, someone!

**🕈︎♋︎🙵♏︎ ◆︎◻︎**

_dad!_

-

_**Thinking back to my father's words, they always seemed so cold** _

_**But I remember them fondly now, maybe I'm getting old** _

_**I never learned how to smile or say what's really on my mind,** _

_**so I looked to you, and I followed your lead every time** _

-

He opens his eyes.

"Oh, you're awake, my child."

That voice is familiar, too.  
He turns his head and sees a monster holding a plate with a piece of pie on it.

"You were very weak when I found you, so I took care of you, here, take this pie, it'll help you."

She puts the plate on the bedside table.  
He looks around.  
It's a children's room, drawings hang on the walls, toys, children's clothes, his feet stick out of the bed.  
He sits down and looks at the woman who took care of him, she's a goat monster it seems, she reminds him a bit of Asgore, their king. Is she the lady of the door?  
Well, there's still one way to find out.  
He smiles slyly.

"knock. knock."

She smiles back.

"Oh my child, you shouldn't..."  
"knock. knock."  
"...Very well. Who's there?"  
"spell."  
"Spell who?"  
"ok. w. h. o."

She giggles softly.

"I see you're feeling better if you're in the mood for some jokes."  
"i'm always in the mood for jokes."  
"Okay! Here's one. Knock knock."  
"who's there?"  
"Tank."  
"tank who?"  
"You're welcome.  
"heh. i saw what you did there, but i should give ya some **war** -ning, i'm the best at knock-knock jokes."  
"But I can give it a **shot**?"  
"sure. that will **kill** time."  
"Why don't skeletons fight each other?"  
"They don't have the guts, of **corpse**.  
" **knife**. your turn.  
"why can't skeletons play church music?  
"Because they have no organs!

They're both laughing at their stupid puns.

"You... have a good sense of humor, child."  
"heh. are you **kidding** me? i'm hilarious."

Toriel chuckles.

"I'm Toriel. And you?"

Sans stops and stands still, realizing where he is.

"...frisk."

Toriel notices Sans is no longer responding.

"Are you all right? You must still be bewildered by that fall... Get some rest."  
"No."

Sans stands up but is held by Toriel.

"no. i... you..."  
"my child."  
"she needs me! she's... hurt! i can't..."

He stares, alarmed, at the door, trying to escape.

"i must go."  
"Where do you want to go?"  
" where snowdin is from where we are? , i must see her. she's in danger and she doesn't know this place, she..."

He looks at Toriel, surprised when he sees the colors fade and his soul appears in front of him.  
His white soul, upside down.

"...You're not human."

Sans automatically selects to flee, seeking to leave.

"Who are you?"

But Toriel doesn't let him go.

"i'm a monster. and her... she's... here. and i can't leave her alone, she's going to make stupid, rash decisions and..."

He sighs.

"just lemme go, tori."

-

_**Just a little longer please, only a little longer please, stay a little longer, with me** _

_**Just a little longer please, only a little longer please, please stay with me, a little while longer** _

-

The colors are coming back.

"...Go down the stairs at the end of the corridor, there's a big door waiting for you. Good luck. My friend."  
"...thank you, old lady."

He comes out of the room and goes down the stairs.

"...frisk."

Toriel watches him leave, worried.

"...Is history repeating itself again? Will tragedy happen again...?"

She closes her eyes.

"Asgore."

_ _ _

Sans opens the door and immediately recognizes the snowy landscape, his guard post on the horizon, the bridge with the Papyrus's defective trap, the tall firs, the icy river where he comes to skate in slippers sometimes when he's in the mood for physical activity.  
A familiar landscape. Empty.  
He begins to walk along the path, snow-covered in search of his own body, or perhaps his dust.  
Toriel may have been spared, the monsters of the Ruins may have been spared, but Frisk is probably in danger.  
Maybe Flowey doesn't know about the monsters in the Ruins, at least, that would spare some monsters if they stay there.  
He hopes so.  
He hears footsteps behind him.

"frisk?"

He turns around, but there's no one there.  
He frowns.

"..."

Someone was there, he knows it.  
Sans takes a deep breath and continues on his way, being careful of every sound and suspicious movement. He steps over a branch, a few minutes later, a noise, and a broken branch.

"Shit."

He's human right now, a hostile monster is anything but what he needs right now. He can't use his magic right now, but frisk is human, frisk has physical strength, frisk has more stamina than he has. He just has to exploit...

*H U M A N.

Immediately, he turns around ready to threaten the person who confronts him, having enough trouble with everything that's going on, and...

_oh._

*wow wow. hey? huh... put me down? please?

_...where the hell am i...?_

The person in front of him is, well, him, with no frisk that owns him. So it would seem.

"...what the fuck."

He drops his own body. Or himself.  
Did he just threaten himself? Weird.

*heya. human. first time to see a monster?

_no. i'm a monster._

He recognizes the look in his eyes. He's checking his LOVE.  
Sans almost wants to roll his eyes, but he doesn't react.

*it's okay. meetin a new species is kinda weird. it's the same for me, bucko.

_oh god._

*i'm sans by the way. sans...  
"...the skeleton. i know. ugh."

It seems the other him didn't appreciate his comment.

"it's not like it's that obvious, right?"

_did i just get sarcastic? again?_   
_i can't believe frisk taunted me._

*...yeah...

Sans sighs and decides to ignore him, pulls out his... broken phone.

"Shit."  
*you know, my brother's gonna be here soon and...  
"papyrus wouldn't hurt a fly and you know it. you don't have to warn me."  
Both lights on the other him extinguish.

*h o w...  
"cut that shit. i don't want to deal with your little threats. i don't have time for that."  
*...  
"now. where is she."

Finally, he looks at him.

*she?  
"you're not the only one with problems with time and RESETS. she, the reckless human being that she is, didn't listen to me! and now i have to deal with a fucking genocide caused by this soulless weed! so. where. is. she.  
*...

They look at each other silently.  
Then Sans finally closes his eyes and sighs.  
"SANS!!!"

Sans tenses up when he hears Papyrus' voice.  
*if i'd been told i had to protect such an annoying human, i would have thought twice before promising anything.

_fuck you._

*sup' paps.  
"YOU KNOW WHAT 'SUP, BROTHER, YOU... WAIT, WHO ARE YOU?"  
"i dunno."  
*a human.

_i'm going to kill him._

"A HUMAN?! WOWIE! THAT MEANS THAT... I'M GOING TO BECOME..."

_...i already know this conversation._

Sans looks at his brother.

"POPULAR! POPULAR! I'M GOING TO BE SHOWERED WITH AFFECTION AND LOVE AND..."  
"...where am i."  
"OH. UHH... SANS! YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO TELL HIM WHERE WE ARE!"  
*sorry bro.  
"WE'RE IN THE UNDERGROUND, HUMAN! AND I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"  
"cool."  
" EXACTLY! I'M COOL! AND YOU HAVE THE HONOR OF SEEING ME... FLESHLESS AND ONLY BONE, NYEH HEH HEH HEH."

Sans burst of laughter.

"omg. paps..."

The other him stares at him suspiciously.

"STEP FORWARD IF YOU DARE, HUMAN! YOU WILL FACE CHALLENGES THAT I MYSELF HAVE MANUFACTURED FOR YOUR ARRIVAL!!!"

They watch Papyrus run, waving to him to approach.

*...i have a few questions, h u m a n.  
"...I have just one for you, monster."

He looks at him.

"do you... know... someone named frisk?"  
*...why...  
"that's good enough for me. you don't know her. it means a lot of things..."

_how did i end up in the past?_

-

_**We are both time-flyers, you and I, running down the timer** _

_**Getting lost, in the times, I don’t know why I, I can’t remember** _

_**If you’re crying when you’re happy, and laughing when you’re sad and you don’t understand** _

_**It’s 'cuz a part, of your heart, has made it here before the rest has.** _

-

*who are you? how do you know about all this? are you...?  
"I don't control the resets. I'm a victim. Many people are."  
*...you seem to... know my brother pretty well.  
"Papyrus? He's the coolest."  
*yeah. i know.

Sans sighs.

i have to go back to the present. i don't know how i ended up back in... time. wait.

"...reset."  
*what?  
"reset is the power to go back in time, reset, load, and save. Three interrelated concepts..."

there's gotta be something...  
*what do you mean?  
"shh. i'm concentrating."

Then he suddenly raises his head and quickly rolls up the sleeves of his other him.

*hey!"  
"no... bracelet."

He releases it and steps back.

"oh my god."  
*what? what's with the weird behavior?

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his bracelet. The ornament has come off, and when he looks in his pocket, it's not there. It's identical to the one he's wearing.  
He giggles softly.

"...it kinda makes sense now."  
*what?

He sighs.

"hey. sans."

The other one doesn't answer, he looks away and seems embarrassed.

*...what?  
"have you ever seen that star shining on the ground? anything special?"  
*...uhh... no?  
"right.  
*what's wrong with your questions, seriously?  
"..."  
Sans keep going.

*hey! i'm talking to you!

Sans continues and stops when he sees it.  
That star. The same one he saw the night he visited Waterfall.

*you!

He stops and turns around, looking at him.

*...yeah... you.

He waits patiently for his question.

*...should i... know you?

Sans looks down, he brings a strand of hair behind his ear.

"nah."  
Sans giggles softly.

"but you will. i'd be more sarcastic, angry over nothing, too demanding, too obsessed with studying, determined, boring at one point... but despite all those imperfections, you'll still fall in love despite yourself. heh."

He looks at the bracelet in his hand.

"hey. i have something for you before i go."  
*what?  
"take it."  
He hands him the bracelet.

"take care of it. i lost a night's sleep over it, you know. it's exhausting."  
*...

He looks at the bracelet.

"welp. here i..."  
*wait.

Sans turns around.

"hm?"  
*what is... your name?  
"..."

_you won't remember after that. but..._

"i'm... frisk."

-

_**All of the things I wasted wishes on when I was small** _

_**all piled up in boxes now in the closet down the hall** _

_**If I could take every dream I’ve ever had and trade them in** _

_**For a little more time with you, I would never dream again.** _

-

He puts his hand on the gold star.

  
**LOAD?**   
**❤YES**   
**NO**

  
**Determination.**  
The power of humans to go on, to persevere no matter what obstacles lie ahead on the horizon.  
A destructive power, impossible to control.  
Sans feels this energy deep inside.  
That determination.  
He releases it.  
 **SAVE**  
And he opens his eyes.  
And he lies on a bed of golden flowers, big columns surround him and he can still see the sky.  
He sighs and gets up.  
This is not the time to admire the sky.  
He ventures into the Ruins. And unlike before, this place is empty, the puzzles are either done or destroyed. He trembles when he sees roots, brambles near some of the puzzles.  
Soon he arrives in front of Toriel's house, but it is empty and when he passes the living room, he sees dust on the armchair.  
He murmurs forgiveness and continues on his way.  
The door to the Ruins is open. He goes out. Snowdin is waiting for him on the other side.  
Frisk is waiting for him on the other side, and he hopes he doesn't find her in dust.

"...frisk..."

Snowdin is empty, silent.

"frisk!!!"

He runs through the snow, trembling when he realizes that this time he's sensitive to Snowdin's icy temperature.

"shit."

But he ignores his boring human body and continues until he comes to a bridge.  
He hears crying.

*Papyrus...

He slows down his pace and walks slowly towards the noises.  
He hears the distinctive sound of shaking bones and crying.

*I couldn't... even...  
"frisk?"

A gasp.  
He crosses her surprised, tear-filled gaze.

-

_**Everyday I wake up lying in my own bed,** _

_**I wish that I could wake up as someone else instead** _

_**Sometimes I feel like I've been dreaming while everyone else is awake** _

_**Sometimes the loneliness I feel is so much more than I can take** _

-

*Sans?  
"fri..."

A star.

**SAVE**

There's that feeling again.  
That comforting, warm, relaxing feeling. He's almost sleepy all of a sudden.  
He opens one eye and sees his body passed out in the snow.

"fris...k"

He reaches out his hand, trying to reach the elongated figure of his body.  
But the feeling grows stronger and stronger.  
And finally, he gives in and falls asleep. Then he feels a trembling touch, but warm, soft, and comforting. He wants to be closer to that thing, whatever it is.

"Sans?"

He opens his eyes.  
He raises his head.

*...

Frisk is back in her body, trembling but smiling.

"...Hey."

Alive.  
It's the first thought that goes through him, he grabs her hand and pulls her close to him, not letting go. He feels tears starting to stream down his cheekbones.

*frisk...  
"Sans... I'm..."  
*shhh...  
"Papyrus... He's!"

But Sans shuts her up, bringing her closer to him.

-

_**Just a little longer please, only a little longer please, stay a little longer, with me** _

_**Just a little longer please, only a little longer please, please stay with me, a little while longer** _

-

The gold star continues to shimmer.  
Frisk closes her eyes and moves closer to him.  
They say nothing, continuing to intertwine, letting their strong emotions guide them.  
A meeting.  
That changes the course of time.

*i thought you were dead.

Frisk smiles staring at the red scarf on the ground with grief.

"I would have preferred."  
*don't say that.  
"But Papyrus..."  
*...frisk.  
"..."

She sighs.  
She steps back a little and looks at him. He stares at her with relief and hope.

"So..."  
 **"You have come."**

But their meeting is soon interrupted.  
Sans gets tense. Frisk shouts.  
Two souls break as a bramble pierces them both at the same time.

"Good job. Smiley Trashbag."

A laugh.

_No._   
_Not now!_   
_I'm human, right?_   
_I have determination._   
_I can..._   
_I will!_   
_Lemme just..._   
_...be the one in **control**._

**RESET**

She screams, lying on a bed of golden flowers.

He gasps as he suddenly wakes up in his bed.

"...What happened?"

*...what...

She gets up, confused.

"...Where... am I?"

*am i... crying? why?

He sighs and sits on the edge of his mattress.

She sees a huge door with a strange sign at the top of it. She decides to go on, maybe she can find out where she's landed. How did she end up here in the first place?

Sans opens his bedroom door and hears her brother "whistling" music playing on the TV, probably another Mettaton film. He comes down the stairs and looks at his wrist, bracelet swings with his movements. That pattern... it's familiar.

The place looks deserted, it's a ruin, it looks like. She sees an old woman coming down the stairs, she looks up and sees her.

"Oh! Greetings, my child. Are you lost?"

"SANS! YOU'RE AWAKE! FINALLY!"  
*...yeah.

Frisk swallows Toriel's last bite of pie she made.

"So...Why are you here, Frisk?"

She looks up at Toriel.

"I... don't know... I think I was looking for someone."

Sans says hello to Doggo on his way to his station.

"How are you doing today?"  
*...i'm okay.

Sans goes on his way.

*...just a feeling that I'm waiting for someone.

"My child."  
"I have to go. I don't know what I'm looking for. But I do know that this thing, this someone... it's not here."

Toriel sighs as she sees her determined gaze.

"...All right. Be careful, though. Asgore..."  
"Yes, I know."

Frisk walks through the door. Toriel watches her leave.

"...Have I ever met you...?"

He opens one eye when he hears a door open.

*...a visitor?

He smiles.

*excellent. I've got to try this whoopee cushion, the reaction will be... priceless.

He giggles.  
He teleports to the bridge.  
Then he sees her.

-

_**We are both time-fliers, you and I, running down the timer** _

_**Getting lost in the times, I don't know why, I knew you long before I even knew your name** _

-

She stops.  
He stares at her.

"Do I..."  
*...know you?

sans!  
Frisk!

"Wait!"  
*wait...  
"Are you..."  
*are you...  
"Sans?"  
*frisk?

They get closer.

"You are..."  
*...aren't you?

Their hands are touching. And it all comes back.

"Sans!"  
*frisk!

They come closer and closer to each other until they embrace.

*...what have you...done?  
"...You told me the person with the most Determination could control the RESETS, I thought I could do it and... here it is."  
*...you're so reckless, frisk, we could have, you could have... god...

But he laughs.

*you're stupid.

She giggles.

"Maybe I am."

She steps back.

"But at least I saved us all."

She steps away but keeps holding his hand.

"Shall we?"  
*what?  
"I don't know. Honestly. It's just a feeling. But, uh..."

She's looking at the horizon.

"It's like one person needs to be saved."  
*...

He sees her gazing resolutely into the distance in the direction of New Home.

*...well. i guess i have no choice but to go with you, huh?  
"What? No, you don't have to..."  
*frisk.

She sighs.

"...All right."

"HUMAN! MY BROTHER HAS THE DECENCY TO FINALLY STOP LAZING AROUND ALL DAY! SO I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU FINALLY GET HIM TO MOVE, BUT IT'S HAVE TO CONTINUE!!!"  
Frisk laughs.  
"Of corpse, Paps."  
"SANS! DON'T CONTAMINATE THE HUMAN WITH YOUR PUNS!!!!"  
*she gave me the sarcasm, i'm just returning the favor.

"Sans. That human is our last soul! Don't interfere. The monsters need her! We're finally going to the surface! You can't take our last hope! Our last soul!  
*that human is my vertabae and i won't let you hurt her, Undyne.  
Frisk is blushing.  
Undyne closes her eyes.  
"...All right. You want to get in the way?"  
She summons a spear.  
"Then you'll fight me!"

*alph.  
"...S-Sans..."

Frisk crosses her arms when she sees the tension between them.

"I... I suppose you will take care of her, r-right?"  
*yeah. it would be nice of you not to... make more trouble for us."  
"Y-Yes, of course! Mettaton... You... won't see him."  
*nice.

He starts to come out.

*frisk.

Frisk sighs.

"Hey. Excuse him, he's a real prick when he wants to be. But I know you're a nice person, Alphys, and very passionate. Don't let his unpleasant behavior get to you."  
"...I-it's all right, don't worry!"  
"Right. Hope to spend more time with you later!"  
"R-Really?"  
"Yes! Of course!"  
*frisk.  
"Ugh. Yes. I'm coming..."

"I thought we weren't supposed to run into Mettaton?"  
*what did you think? We'd be lucky all along!?  
"OHHHHHHH YESSSS!!!!! A HUMAAAAANNNN!!!!!!"

Frisk watches with admiration the room which seems to be bathed in light.

"It's magnificent."

She hasn't noticed that Sans is no longer at her side.  
A sound of a bell.  
She raises her head and sees Sans waiting for her, hands in his pockets, eye sockets closed.

"Sans?"  
*the king... is waiting for us in the next room.  
"..."

She doesn't move.

*the King Asgore. king of the monsters. behind him lies the barrier that separates your world from ours.

He opens his eyes.

*our last hurdle if you seek to return to the surface.

He takes a step forward.

*so tell me, frisk, what is your real goal?

She closes her eyes.

"Would you believe me if I told you I heard a voice in Flowey? A child crying, looking so lonely. A child who looks like Toriel. A child who just wants to be loved."  
*you're telling me that this person you want to save is flowey?  
"...I'm telling you a child wants company. And I feel an overwhelming urge to reach out, to help him for some unknown reason."  
*...frisk... are you gonna leave us after?  
" Reformulate the question, Sans."  
*are you going to leave me?  
"...I don't know. I hope not."

He sighs.

*that look...

He smiles.

*full of determination.

He takes his hands out of his pockets.

*come here.

She runs towards him and embraces him.

"Sans."  
*you won't forget us... right?

-

_**I know in a world where you're not around, I could probably make it through this life somehow** _

_**and I know that a world where you're not around would be like autumn without all the leaves falling down** _

_**I know that a world where you're not around is like a beautiful song with no sound** _

_**I don't want a world where you're not around** _

-

"Frisk. Human. Forgive me..."  
"You will not harm this human, Asgore! I won't let you!"

Frisk sees Toriel come between her and Asgore. Without arriving shortly after her with Papyrus.

"HELLO AGAIN, HUMAN!"  
"Hey punk! How are you doing with your vertabae, huh?!"  
"I... don't want to answer that question."  
"F-Frisk!"  
"Alphys? Why are you all here? What's going on?"  
 **"...I just came to get what's rightfully mine! The RESETS!"**

Sadistic laughter.  
It's getting dark.

"Sans... You're not guilty of any of this. Please... let me help you... Come back to me..."

She sees him in tears behind that glitch. She puts her hands on both sides of his skull.

"Sans. It's me. Frisk."

She puts her forehead on the top of his skull. She closes her eyes.

"Your vertebae, you remember?"  
*heh. yeah.

She looks at him surprised. The glitch is gone. He puts his hand behind her, runs it between her hair and brings it closer to him.

*my vertebae.

He kisses her gently, without rushing. And she feels some kind of electricity in contact with her lips and his teeth that haven't moved. Then a strong intense heat, full of emotion.  
He slowly moves away, and the intense feelings disappear. She looks at him, curious.

"...How?"  
*that is a secret, in my closet, heh.

He laughs as she rolls her eyes.

"Hey Sans, can you pass me your bracelet?"

He blinks several times, confused and curious.

"sure. why?"

She pulls a marker out of her pocket.

"I bought this at Gerson, I thought it would be a good idea to write our name, then..."

She writes slowly on the bracelet.

"We won't forget!"

She hands him the pen.

*it's ridiculous, i won't forget you.  
"You say that, but we forgot earlier."  
* the RESET has destabilized me.  
"Riiiiight..."  
*shut up.

She opens her palm and shudders at the touch of the pen tip.

*here.

She opens her palm.

"...Vertebae?"

*oh. looks like I was confused. too late...!  
"Moron."  
*moron in love.

-

_**We are both time-fliers, you and I, running down the timer** _

_**Getting lost, in the times, I don’t know why I, I can’t remember** _

_**I don’t care if time hides you** _

_**I won’t give up til I find you** _

_**So if you, can hear my voice…** _

-

"Asriel?"  
"No! Leave me alone! I don't want your help! I don't want any help!"  
"Asriel..."

He opens his eyes.

"...Chara? Is that you?"

Frisk remains silent.

"I'm... so sorry! I should have... listened to you! I... should have killed... those humans... I am... a coward! Forgive... me!!!!"

She sees him sobbing, unable to stop the tears.

"...You aren't a coward, Asriel."  
"...Chara?

Frisk doesn't know who he confuses her with, but she ignores the name he gives her.

"You're a brave person, to have endured this loneliness for so long... But these souls... they're not yours, they belong to monsters who deserve to live... You can't take their lives now."  
"I want to control everything! If I control no one can hurt me!"  
"No one's gonna hurt you. You're not alone now."  
"...Chara...?  
"...I'm here now."

She's smiling at him.

"Your best friend."

-

_**We are both time-flyers, you and I, time-scaling climbers** _

_**Getting lost, in the times, I don’t know why I, I somehow know that** _

_**You’re a dramatic crier, do everything I can, just to make you smile** _

_**But If you can’t, I understand, somehow I remember how we looked up at the sky the night it fell down** _

-

A star in the Underground is shining. It shines like a pearl in the void. But gradually its light fades and finally... it breaks.  
In the Ruins, an ornament of a star is also shattered.  
_ _ _  
The sky.  
He didn't expect to see it again after that.  
But now Sans is standing next to his brother, on top of the mountain, with a beautiful sunset.  
At last, after centuries, monsters can watch the magnificent spectacle of the skies. Every change, every season, they finally have access to it all.

"HOW..."  
"It's impossible, how can the barrier..."  
"It broke... by itself."  
*heh. a true miracle.

He takes a look behind him.

*you saw that...

Then he stops, no one is standing behind him. Yet someone should be there, beside him... right?

"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO, BROTHER?"  
*...i... can't remember.

A drop of water falls on Frisk's nose. She shakes and opens her eyes.

"...Where... am I?"

She grunts and gets up, it seems she's lying... in a cave?

"It's dangerous, I shouldn't stay here."

She sighs.

"What am I doing here?"

She shakes her head.

"Nothing comes back to me... Strange... Did Flora make me drink another one of her cocktails from hell without my consent?"

She hides her eyes and sees a beautiful sunset.

"...Well, it's been a long time since I've seen it..."

Then she wonders about her own words.

"What? What am I saying?"

She hears a noise. She sees several figures at the top of the mountain.

"Ah. Looks like I'm not the only one who fell here."

She starts to descend.

"I mustn't hang around here if there are people around, there's a risk of traffic saturation..."

She speeds up her pace.

"Honestly, how did I end up here?!"

She grunts.

"I wouldn't even be surprised if it's his fault..."

She stops.

"... His fault? Who? Wait a minute. I was looking for something here, wasn't I? Somebody... ...to save..."

She's looking at the mountain top.

"...What's his name?"

*i... forgot.  
"BROTHER?"  
*i... forgot...  
"WHAT?"  
*i... don't know... it's... something... someone... important. very important! someone dear!"

He feels the tears flowing, but he can't control them.

*i don't want to forget someone dear, i don't want to lose someone dear again!

"SANS, TELL ME, WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE THIS ?!"  
*...what's her name?

She opens her left palm.

"...Vertebae?"

She sighs.

"What idiot wrote that pun? It's stu...pid..."

She feels a tear.

"I... am... crying? For... what?"

She looks at her hand.

"Who... are you?"

*that person, she... she's written something important, something to remember... a gift...

He rolls up his sleeve and looks at her bracelet. He turns it around until he sees some words.

_I love you._

He falls to the floor, crying.

*no... how... could you leave me... with those words...

He tries to hold back the tears but nothing can stop it.

*you stupid... human.

-

_**If you’re crying when you’re happy, and laughing when you’re sad and you don’t understand** _

_**It’s 'cuz a part, of your heart, has made it here before the rest has** _

_**'Cuz a part of your heart has made it here before the rest has** _

-

_"Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I feel my heart beating fast and my tears flowing."_

A young woman stands in front of a mirror, she's tying her hair into a bun. She's wearing an outfit that looks very professional. She checks her bun and then looks at her left palm before she sighs. She raises her head and notices that tears are flowing out of her control.

_*the dream i must have had i can never recall. but..._

A skeleton grunts as he hits the ground as he falls from his bed. He knew he should never have bought a bed, at least from a mattress, the fall is less. He sighs and opens his eyes, his gaze settles on a bracelet. The three words are still written on it.

_"But... The sensation that I've lost something lingers for a long time after I wake up."_

The young woman is standing in front of a huge building, the Monster Embassy, she's coming for her job interview and she hopes she'll be up to the job. She didn't go through all that studying for nothing. She takes a deep breath and goes inside.

_*i've always been searching for... something, someone._

He knows his brother will probably scold him for being late when this interview is very important to the Monsters and as a judge, he knows best what this human's true intentions are, blah blah blah.  
Honestly, he'd just like to sleep through the day. And just be lazy all day long. This special day. This day, it's the third anniversary of the Monster surface. Three years since he lost that thing... that someone.  
But he knows he has no choice but to go, for the greater good. He takes a deep breath and gets out of his apartment. He closes the door and looks up at the sky. A sight he'll never get tired of.

_"I think I know how long I've had this feeling."_

"Thank you for listening to me."

She gets up from her chair, intimidated by the presence of the Monster King and Queen.

"You're welcome."

She begins to walk to the door.

"Do you know when Sans will arrive?"  
"THIS LAZYBONE IS LATE AGAIN! I HAD WARNED HIM, BUT..."  
*heya. miss me?

_*this feeling possessed me i think from that day..._

He appears near his brother, amused as his brother reprimands him for being late. It won't be the first time he's said that and not the last.  
He smiles lazily before turning to the only human in the room.  
And everything disappears.

_"That day... when that star appeared. It was like..."_

When she crosses his gaze, she feels her heart beating wildly.  
It's him, she knows it's him, it has to be him! Her vertebrae, right?  
She wants to take him in her arms, to laugh, to cry, to tell him that she missed him, that she doesn't remember anything but that she knows, that it's him.  
But his empty gaze holds her back. He doesn't feel what she feels, does he?  
She smiles sadly.

"...Thank you again for receiving me."

She walks to the door, heavy heart, disordered thoughts, and desperate soul.

_*...kind of... a dream._

He sees her disappear. He sees her leaving. Again.

"So what do you think, Sans?"

He doesn't want to forget her yet...  
He doesn't.  
He gets up and walks to the door. But there are too many people in the corridors, he can't see her anymore.  
She's gone. Again.  
The only chance slips through his fingers again with him not being able to do a damn thing.

*vertebae...

But a sudden feeling comes over him, something he hasn't felt in a long time.  
 **Determination.**  
He starts walking the long corridors of the embassy before he reaches the exit. The place is crowded, too.  
So he just goes with his instincts, desperately searching through a crowd.  
He doesn't stand a chance, but he doesn't want to give up.  
Not yet.

...Is she going to let him go like that?  
Even if he doesn't recognize her, can't she try...?  
It's him! She knows that...   
She won't give up when he's so close.  
Her fists clench, her eyes fill with her determination.   
And there she is, pacing the embassy, looking for him, then the square, then the streets, then the city.

He's never moved so much in his life, he's exhausted and just wants to sleep, but this determination never lets go of him, and the feeling that she's getting closer and closer to him at every step only encourages him to go on with despair, without letting go.  
He is resting on a banister as he catches his breath, having abused his shortcuts and his endurance.  
Then one step.  
He is in a deserted alleyway with very little traffic. Not many people pass by here, normally, he thought it would be quiet, but...  
He looks up.  
Her.  
They stare at each other for several long minutes.  
There she is.

There he is.  
She can't take her eyes off him, drawn despite herself when she doesn't even know his name.  
But it's him she's looking for.  
They continue to stare silently at each other. Then they look away.  
He begins to climb the stairs and she slowly descends them.  
The two of them shake as they walk past each other without saying a word.  
Then Sans stops on a step.

*wait!

She turns around.

*i know it's weird, strange and all... but... i can't help thinking... we know each other...?

She smiles at him. A smile full of joy and relief. 

"I... I think so too!"

They keep staring at each other, turning completely in each other's direction.

*hey uh...  
"...What's..."  
*...your **name**?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I have a Tumblr, I reblog a lot of things and sometimes I post bullshit, come asking me things!  
> https://zeliez.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Wants to talk about Undertale? Don't be shy and come [here](https://discord.gg/P6Q8Zh3)!


End file.
